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THE LIBRARY

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

PRESENTED BY

PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND
MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID

FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS

OUZEL .

FAMILIAE

WILD BIEDS

W. SWAYSLAND

Jf ourtl) Series
WITH COLOURED PLATES

CASSELL AND COMPANY, LIMITED

LONDON, PARIS & MELBOURNE

ALL EIGHTS RESERVED

' J.

PEEFACE.

Tins concluding volume of " FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS "
contains still more examples than its predecessor of birds
which are, alas, ' ' familiar " no longer. May it prove,
perchance, that to make some of these now rarer
denizens of Britain better known is to secure for them
some better protection from that final extinction which
has already overtaken not a few; and may this attempt
to convey some idea of the wonderful variety of bird-life
help to promote the loving study rather than the total
destruction of those " wild birds " that remain.

To a General Index is added, at the request of many
subscribers, a classified scientific index of the birds de-
scribed in all the four volumes, arranged according to the
most recent system.

CONTENTS

PAGE

RING OUZEL 1

KENTISH PLOVEK 5

BUZZARD 9

CIRL BUNTING 13

HAWFINCH 17

STOCK DOVE 21

DARTFORD WAUBLEK 25

POCHARD 29

BLACK REDSTART . . . . , ... . . .33

SPOTTED FLY-CATCHER 37

TREE SPARROW 41

BRAMBLING 45

WHINCHAT 49

COMMON SCOTER 53

GREY WAGTAIL 57

SMEW 61

BLACK-HEADED BUNTING 65

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER 69

ROCK PIPIT 73

CORMORANT 77

CREEPER . 81

viii CONTENTS.

PAGE

TURTLE DOVE 85

SHORE LARK . 89

GANNET 93

QUAIL S7

OYSTER-CATCHER . . 101

COLE TIT . 105

GUILLEMOT 109

ROCK DOVE 113

DOTTEREL 117

MARSH TIT 121

LITTLE AUK 125

RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE 129

SANDERLING 133

LONG-TAILED TIT 137

RAZOR-BILL . . 141

BY R. KEAE/TON.

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING 145

CLASSIFIED INDEX 161

GENERAL INDEX 174

FAMILIAR

WILD^BIBDS.

THE EING OUZEL.

Mcnda torqiiata.

HE RING OUZEL, or, as it
is variously called, Rock Ouzel,
Mountain Ouzel, White-
breasted Blackbird, Ringed
Thrush, and Moor Blackbird,
is a frequenter of the wild,
mountainous, and waste por-
tions of Great Britain. It
does not appear to care at all
for cultivated or inhabited
districts; and although by
no means a scarce bird, its
habits of life are so shy and
retiring that few persons
excepting the naturalist know
very much about it.

The Ring Ouzel is a migra-
tory bird, arriving in this
country about the end of
March or the beginning of
April, and remaining with us
until the end of October. It
is found during its stay princi-
pally in the northern and

2 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

western extremities of our island, but Hampshire, Dorset-
shire, Devonshire, Cornwall, Kent, Surrey, Suffolk, Norfolk,
and Sussex may be mentioned as counties where it is to be
met with. It is, however, as already intimated, a lover
of the <e mountain and the moor," and its scarcity increases
just in proportion as these geographical characteristics are
few and far between.

For about a fortnight in the beginning of October
these birds may be seen in flocks, varying from twenty to
thirty, in many places along the coast-line of our southern
counties, notably near some of the Devonshire headlands,
and in the Island of Portland (where they are familiarly
spoken of as " Michaelmas Blackbirds"). These flocks, after
remaining near the coast for twelve or fourteen days,
suddenly disappear, doubtless passing over to France, and
thence to the northern part of Africa. They are said to
breed regularly on the Dartmoor Hills, but the higher
moorlands and hilly districts of Yorkshire, Derbyshire,
and Scotland are their most commonly used breeding
grounds. The Ring Ouzel is also found in Wales, Ireland,
and various parts of Scotland, and in some of the European
countries, particularly Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and
Switzerland.

The food of the Ring Ouzel consists of insects, small snails,
seeds, berries — especially those of the elder, juniper, holly,
and mountain ash ; the bird occasionally displays a strong
partiality for grapes and fruit of various kinds, and when
there happen to be fruit gardens within reasonable distance
of its haunts it frequently becomes a persistent and
unwelcome visitor. This characteristic is most noticeable
after the young birds have to provide for themselves.

The nest somewhat resembles in structure and material

THE RING OUZEL. 3

that of the Blackbird, being composed of coarse dry grass
and stalks, plastered on the inside with mud, and lined with
finer grasses and stalks ; it is placed sometimes on the
ground and sometimes on the face of a bank, but nearly
always either under a bush, or close to the shelter of some
tuft or fragment of stone or rock.

The eggs vary in number from four to six : they are
oval in shape, of a pale bluish-green colour, speckled with
pale reddish-brown, the larger end having the spots much
longer, and frequently running into one another.

In its general appearance the Ring Ouzel strongly
resembles the Blackbird, especially in the making a chat-
tering cry when alarmed, although the note is different.
It is cautious, shy, and vigilant; the flight is strong and
rapid. When disturbed, the bird will endeavour to conceal
itself amongst the bushes, but if forced to take wing it
commonly flies off at once to some considerable distance,
repeating a loud clear note, which sounds like the syllable
" tak" or " tuk." The flight of the Ring Ouzel is usually
at the height of about twenty feet from the ground ; it
rises from the heart or top of a tree or bush, and continues
its movements at the same elevation. They do not visit
low bushes and shrubs like Blackbirds.

The song consists of a few clear plaintive notes, de-
scribed by Morris as being "desultory, but sweet"; the
bird is said to sing all the year round, except during
moulting.

The Ring Ouzel measures about ten and a half inches
in length, the tail being nearly four inches long; the
beak is black, with a variable amount of yellow at the
base ; the irides dark brown ; the head, neck, back, upper
tail-coverts, wings, and tails are all of a brownish-black

4 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

colour, while the chin, throat, breast, and belty are similar
in colour to the upper portions of the body. Each feather is
slightly edged with light, which gives the bird a
scaly appearance, but across the chest there is a broad
curved stripe of white, edged with brownish, from which
the bird derives its name. The legs, toes, and claws are
brownish-black.

The female is not so dark in plumage as the male ; the
band across the breast is not so broad, it is less pure in
colour, and shaded with reddish-brown and grey. The
young male birds resemble the adult females in their
markings ; but in the young females the crescent-shaped
band is hardly perceptible.

pLo>/EPv

THE KENTISH PLOVER

Charadfins cantianns.

HIS pretty little Plover has
been known to naturalists as
a British bird for about a
century, the first recorded
specimens being secured in
1787 at Sandwich, in Kent.
Since that time, however, the
bird has been noticed in several
of the English counties, though
its partiality for the county
first mentioned is still suffi-
ciently marked to afford ample
reason for the continuance of
its name.

The Kentish Plover is
migratory in its habits, arriv-
ing on our shores about April
or the beginning of May, and
remaining until August or
September. The broad, flat,
shingle- covered shores of Kent
and Sussex, especially the
former, and the extensive tract
known as Romney Marsh, are

6 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

localities which are much resorted to by these birds, and
here they breed in large numbers.

Mr. Yarrell says that when visiting1 Hastings in 1833
he was informed that the eggs of the Kentish Plover were
in great demand as a table delicacy, and that dogs were
trained to find them for the collectors.

The Kentish Plover takes no trouble to construct a
nest, a slight depression or hollow in the shingle or sand
being considered all that is necessary. As a rule, four eggs
are laid ; they are about one inch and a quarter in length,
the grounding of a pale yellowish stone colour, marked all
over with streaks and spots of brownish-black, the markings
being thicker around the base.

The bird is seldom found on the nest, for, like all its
tribe, it runs directly it is approached, and does not take
flight until at some distance from the nest.

The eggs may easily be found if the bird is watched
through a good field-glass.

The food of the Kentish Plover consists principally of
marine insects, Crustacea, and worms. These birds asso-
ciate frequently with Ring Plovers, and feed freely with
them ; on these occasions, however, if disturbed and put to
flight, the Kentish Plovers invariably keep in a flock
by themselves.

It has been already noticed that these birds frequent
the sea coast, and it is only in exceptional cases that they
are seen on the banks of rivers, as is the case with the
Ring Plover. Occasionally, during very high tides or
violent gales of wind, they retire to the fields or low-lying
marshes contiguous to the coast, but only for a short
time.

When the bird is alarmed it has a very noticeable

THE KENTISH PLOVER. 7

habit of running1 some little distance with its wings
opened high above its back before it takes wing, and it
repeats this action when alighting after flight.

The note is short, and may be said to resemble the
syllables " tirr, tirr," " pitt, pitt," " pwee, pwee."

In common with most birds of the Plover tribe, the
Kentish Plover exhibits great artfulness in endeavouring
to decoy unwelcome intruders away from her nest, running
along on the ground, fluttering about in short and appar-
ently feeble flights, and continually uttering short sharp
cries — indicative of uneasiness and alarm. The young
birds begin to run almost immediately they are hatched,
and at this period the parents are extremely solicitous for
their safety.

The entire length of the full-grown bird is about seven
inches and three-quarters. The male in summer has the
beak black at the point, and orange-yellow at the base; the
irides brown ; forehead white, with a black band reaching
to the eyes on each side; lore, space under the eyes, and
ear-coverts black ; below this, and all round the neck, is a
collar of white, and then a collar of black ; the top of the
head and back of the neck is yellowish-brown ; the back,
wing-coverts, and tertials are brown ; the wing-coverts are
tipped with white : this marking forms a continuous white
bar, which is very conspicuous during flight ; the primaries
nearly black ; upper tail-coverts and base of tail a " hair "
brown, merging into greyish-black towards the end;
the outer feather on each side of the tail is pure white ;
chin and throat white; breast, belly, and vent white,
also the under tail-coverts; legs and toes orange; claws
black.

Adult females in summer have the bands and collars

8 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

narrower than the males, and the entire plumage is duller
and less decided. In the winter months the markings of
both sexes are not so distinctly defined, the black and white
parts being less pure and more intermixed.

Young birds have the beak all black, or very nearly so ;
there is no black band over the forehead, the collar round
the neck is a dusky brown, and the legs are pale yellow.

THE BUZZARD.

Falco buteo.
Suteo vulgaris.

HE Common Buzzard, although
not nearly so numerous in the
British Isles as in former
times, is still one of the most
familiar and best known of
the larger hawks. It fre-
quents those counties in which
the most densely wooded dis-
tricts are found, and, unlike
many of the Falconidse, it is
but seldom met with in very
open or exposed situations.
Large numbers of Buzzards
remain with us all the year
round, but in many cases they
are partially migratory.

The Buzzard is certainly
inferior to many of the hawks
in its general characteristics.
The flight is more laboured,
the movements are slower,
and the courage, daring, and
dash which is noticeable in
other members of the family

10 FAMILIAR WILDBIRDS.

are " conspicuous by their absence/' This is probably due
to its more secluded habits.

The food of this bird is somewhat miscellaneous, and
includes rabbits, moles, birds, and reptiles. It prefers
watching for its prey from some advantageous look-out,
such as a prominent bough or some projecting crag, and it
will remain in such a position for a considerable time,
exhibiting meanwhile the most commendable patience.
When hard pressed by hunger, however, it takes to its
wings, and sails slowly along in search of food ; and it has
been noticed that these flights or beats are repeated with
tolerable regularity, the bird generally exploring the
different parts of its circuit in the same order.

The Buzzard is occasionally observed at a considerable
height in the air, slowly sailing in circles, but it is far
more commonly stationed in a tree, and when approached,
to quote the Journal of a Naturalist, "it bustles hastily
out with a confused and hurried flight, indicative of fear."

The nest of the Common Buzzard is as a rule built in
the forked branches of a tree; it is composed of sticks and
twigs, and sparingly lined with wool, moss, or any other
soft material. If the bird can find an old nest of some
other large bird it makes use of it in preference to building
one for itself. In the more wild and mountainous parts of
the country the Buzzard builds in tall crags, crevices in the
rock, and ledges in the cliff ; in all these cases great care
and caution are shown in selecting places tolerably secure
from molestation and annoyance. The eggs vary in number
from two to four: they are more round than oval, and differ
in colour; some are quite white, and others are a dull
bluish or greenish -white, blotched and streaked with pale
yellowish-brown.

THE BUZZARD. 11

The Buzzard pairs in the early part of spring ; the
parents show great attachment to their offspring, and are
said to associate with them for a much longer time than
do most hawks.

The note of the Buzzard is a wild shrill scream ; this
has doubtless originated one of its local names, viz., the
Shreak.

In confinement the Buzzard exhibits very little ferocity,
and soon becomes tolerably familiar and attached. It
readily undertakes the duties of incubation, and instances
are recorded in which a captive Buzzard has brought up a
brood of chickens, and behaved to them in a most affection-
ate and exemplary manner.

The plumage of this bird is subject to considerable
variations, scarcely any two specimens being precisely
similar. The feathers fade and grow dull before moulting,
and in some cases the bars on the tail are the only distinct
markings left. The females are larger than the males, and
frequently darker in their general appearance.

The entire length of the male is about twenty or twenty-
two inches; the beak is bluish-black, growing darker
towards the point; the cere yellow; the irides yellow;
the upper part of the head and cheeks are pale
brown, with longitudinal streaks of a darker shade;
the whole of the back, wing-coverts, upper tail-coverts, and
upper surface of the tail feathers are dark clove brown,
the last-named being barred with a lighter brown; the
former-named parts have lighter coloured edges; the wing
primaries are brownish-black ; the chin and throat almost
white ; front of the neck, breast, under wing-coverts, belly,
and thighs greyish-white, spotted and streaked with
yellowish-brown ; under tail-coverts white ; under surface

FAMILIAR WILL SIKDS.

of the tail feathers is barred across with dark wood-brown;
leg's and toes yellow; claws black. The texture of the
feathers is much softer and more owl-like than in the rest
of the Falconidse.

In addition to the places already mentioned, the
Buzzard is well known throughout all the wooded parts of
Europe, and it is said to be met with in North Africa and
North America.

CIEL BUNTING.

Emberiza cirlus.

HIS handsome little bird has a
strong general resemblance to
the Yellowhammer, and no
doubt is frequently mistaken
for that bird, especially if it
happens to be a female, in
which case the similarity is
the most strongly marked.
Any close observer may, how-
ever, easily distinguish these
birds from one another, as the
male Girl Bunting has a black
throat, and both the male and
female have the rump feathers
of a pretty olive-green.
Neither of these markings
are found in the plumage
of the Yellowhammer.

The Cirl Bunting is said to
be met with abundantly in
all the southern parts of the
European continent, whilst in
our own islands it has been
met with at times in nearly

14 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

every portion, but most plentifully in the southern counties,
and more especially in Sussex, Hampshire, Wiltshire, and
Devonshire. Mr. Knox remarks that, although commonly
seen in the summer months in the neighbourhood of
Brighton, Worthing, Bognor, and Chichester, it is seldom
met with far on the northern sides of the South Downs.

Corn-lands, meadows, and open fields surrounded by
hedgerows are the favourite resorts of the Girl Bunting,
and in counties where there is a sea coast the bird is
generally found to keep at no great distance from it.
They are seldom found in large numbers ; usually small
parties of about from six to ten are seen. In the winter
they keep together in grass fields, or on waste land ; they
seldom associate much with other birds, and when dis-
turbed rise one after the other and escape separately.

The Cirl Bunting is somewhat shy in disposition, and
much addicted to perching on the tops of trees, exhibit-
ing a partiality for elms, especially during the breeding
season.

The food consists of the seeds of grass and other plants,
caterpillars, flies, and various small insects. As a vocalist,
it certainly cannot claim a very high rank, the song, if it
may be so termed, consisting of a few shrill, almost harsh
notes, generally uttered whilst the bird is perched on the sum-
mit of a tree, and sometimes during flight. The female is less
accomplished in this particular than her mate. The call
somewhat resembles the words "twit, twit." The flight
is undulatory, and very similar to that of the Yellow-
hammer.

About the beginning of May nesting operations
usually commence,, and the locality usually selected is
generally a low bush, furze or bramble, or amongst the

GIRL BUNTING. 15

tall grass on a bank or hedge, and sometimes tolerably
close to a building, in a rose or briar that has been
trained or tied to the wall. The nest is built of fine
twigs, dried bents of grass or hay, with a little green
moss, and frequently lined with small thin fibrous roots;
sometimes, however, the inside of the nest is found to be
completed with no other material than what is used for
the outside.

Four or five eggs are laid; they are of a dull bluish- white
colour, streaked, blotched, and speckled with dark reddish-
brown. The eggs, however, appear to vary very much both
as regards the grounding and the marks. The young
birds have the breast of a pretty pale yellow, with dusky
streaks, the back is a light brown, speckled with black ; the
olive tint appears after the first moult, and deepens as the
bird grows older.

The length of the Girl Bunting is nearly six inches and
a half ; bill a pale bluish colour ; iris dark brown ; above
the eye is a streak of bright yellow, which comes round
behind, and then across the upper part of the breast,
offering a strong contrast to the black throat above.
There is a yellow spot on each side of the head, the top of
which is dark olive ; the back and sides of the neck are
yellowish-grey; the throat is black, slightly tinged with
green ; the breast a dull olive, crossed with a chestnut
brown band ; the back is a rich chestnut brown, with the
edges of the feathers tinged with olive, and in the summer
it gets a dusky white colour ; the tail is a dusky black, the
outer feathers being patched with white on the inside, and
the outside edge of the external feather is altogether
white; under tail-coverts pale yellow, streaked with dark
brown; the wings are yellowish underneath, and on the

16 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

upper surface the feathers are dusky black in the centre,
margined with brown and yellowish edges ; the lower part
of the breast is dull yellow; legs and toes a pale reddish-
brown ; claws dusky.

The plumage of the female is not so bright as that of
the male ; the head is without the black markings and the
bright yellow ; the chin and throat are yellowish-brown,
streaked with a darker shade, and the back is streaked with
black ; the breast is much speckled.

The Cirl Bunting may be kept in confinement without
much difficulty, and in any aviary its handsome plumage is
always a source of attraction ; it is not quarrelsome, and
usually a favourite, and it will thrive on canary and grass
seeds.

THE HAWFINCH.

Coccothraustes vulgaris.
Loxia coccothraustes.

HIS somewhat singular-looking
bird is very commonly known
as the Grosbeak, French
Grosbeak, and Haw Gros-
beak. As this last name
indicates, the bill is large
and powerful, and this cir-
cumstance, in conjunction
with the fact that its food
consists largely of haw-berries,
at once explains the name
that has been given to it.

The Hawfinch is both a
resident in and a visitor to
this country — that is to say,
it stays in some parts all
the year round, whilst other
localities it visits only at the
beginning of winter, to leave
again in the following early
spring.

It is, or has been, met
with in nearly all the prin-
cipal counties of England,

18 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

and is also said to be seen every year in the hawthorns of
the famous Phoenix Park at Dublin. In Scotland also it is
occasionally observed. Amongst European countries, it is
found in Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, and Italy, and
sometimes, though much more rarely, in Sweden, Denmark,
and Russia.

The Hawfinch is very shy and cautious in its habits,
although, like many other birds, it is considerably more
approachable in winter. It feeds upon the fruits, seeds, and
berries of such trees as the hawthorn, plum, plane, cherry,
laurel, holly, and pine ; the strong hard beak with which the
bird is provided enabling it to crush the toughest shell or
covering with comparative ease. The Hawfinch associates
with its fellows in flocks, and in winter these flocks vary
considerably in the number of members, ranging from
twelve and fifteen up to between one hundred and two
hundred. When feeding, one or more of these birds may
generally be seen on some open bough or exposed branch,
keeping a pretty sharp look-out for unwelcome visitors.

About April the Hawfinch chooses its mate, and
nesting operations are commenced without much loss of
time. A holly or hawthorn tree is generally selected ; but
although these have a decided preference, the branches of
the oak, apple, or horse-chestnut are not unfrequently
made use of. The nest itself is incompact, and is formed
to a large extent of lichens, intermixed with twigs of oak,
honeysuckle, or similar material ; it is lined with vege-
table fibres, small flexible roots, and a small quantity of
hair or feathers. Four to six eggs are laid, of a pale
olive-green, with spots of biackish-brown and streaks of
dusky grey; they vary, however, considerably in appearance,
some being entirely of a pale green colour.

THE HAWFINCH. 19

The young Hawfinches make their appearance about the
beginning of May, and when capable of sustaining them-
selves they congregate in flocks, and are frequent visitors
to gardens for peas and various seeds. When inter-
rupted they fly off under the trees unobserved, and the
mischief they have done is ascribed to mice or other
birds.

The note of this bird is soft, agreeable, and plaintive,
and in fine weather is uttered all through the winter. In
captivity the Hawfinch is said to imitate the song of other
birds, and it also makes a harsh, grinding noise with its
beak, something similar to the parrot.

The Hawfinch gets very tame if reared by hand. It
always breeds in Sussex, and sometimes visits that county
in considerable numbers in winter.

The length is about seven inches ; the bill is of a bluish
colour, large, pointed, and very powerful ; between the beak
and the eye is a black mark, meeting the black of the throat
in a point; iris greyish-white; head yellowish-brown ; neck
is crossed behind by a broad band of ash colour ; chin and
throat velvet black ; breast pale brown ; back dark brown,
changing to brownish-grey, and downwards to a yellowish-
brown ; the wings are about eleven inches across, and are
variously marked with blackish-brown, greyish-white, and
yellowish-brown ; some of the wing feathers are curiously
formed in the shape of a bill-hook or battle-axe, and the
quill feathers near the back are square at the ends. The
tail is remarkably short and black, with some markings of
white, the middle feathers being somewhat shorter than the
rest; upper tail-coverts yellowish-brown; under tail-
coverts white; legs, toes, and claws are brownish-red.

The female is generally considered to be a trifle smaller

XA3I1LIAR WILD BIRDS.

than the male ; she is like the male in appearance, but not
so handsome, and the markings are more blended, and the
black markings near the eye and on the head and neck are
not so conspicuous. Varieties are occasionally seen partly
white.

The young birds somewhat resemble the adult female,
but are speckled nearly all over, and the beak is dark.

They are often very mischievous if put into an aviary
with other birds.

STOCK, DO\/E.

THE STOCK DOVE.

Cohoitba ccnas.

HIS bird is very similar in
appearance and habits to the
common Wood Pigeon, with
which it not unfrequently
associates. It is, however,
partly migratory in its habits,
leaving certain parts of this
country about the end of
October.

The Stock Dove is by no
means equally distributed in
Great Britain, being common
in some localities and rarely
met with in others. It is
also local even in those coun-
ties where it is to be seen,
and seems to possess strong
partialities to certain districts.
This is the case in the counties
of Norfolk, Hertfordshire,
Essex, and other parts of the
midlands, where it seems most
generally found.

In Europe the bird is said
to be met with in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Norway,

22 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

and Sweden; also in different parts of Asia and North
Africa.

The food of the Stock Dove resembles that of the
other wild pigeons, and comprises peas, grain, seeds of
various descriptions, beech-mast, berries, and small acorns,
particularly the first two items. In their search for food
the birds frequent cultivated fields, woods, coppices,
plantations, &c., and usually roost amongst the higher
branches of the beech or fir. In winter they assemble in
flocks, sometimes of large size, and associate with Wood
Pigeons on the most amicable terms. Indeed, their
amiability seems to be one of their principal characteristics,
for although they build in some cases quite close to one
another, the greatest harmony invariably prevails, and very
seldom is a quarrel detected. Another interesting trait in
the character of the Stock Dove is the great mutual
affection which exists between the male and female, and
this is particularly noticeable in birds that are kept in
confinement.

The birds run rather quickly when on the ground,
nodding the head with the peculiar action common to all
the family; their habits and appearance are very neat,
and they are fond of pluming themselves when perched.
The flight is strong, sustained, and exceedingly rapid,
the rush of the wings being plainly observable when
passing within a short distance. When first they take
flight a loud clapping noise is made by the violent striking
together of the wings, and when a large flock is suddenly
put into motion the sound produced is really of an aston-
ishing kind; indeed, without actually experiencing an
instance of this kind it would be difficult to form a just
opinion of the extent of the disturbance.

THE STOCK DOVE. 23

The Stock Dove commences nesting about the beginning
of April, sometimes earlier if the spring is forward, but the
nest is a very careless construction indeed. In some cases
it scarcely deserves the name, being nothing more than a
few sticks loosely piled together. Holes in trees, old
rabbit warrens, and hollowed places beneath bushes are
favourite places, and the same nesting place is often made
use of for two or more years in succession, possibly by the
same birds. The eggs number two, and are white, smaller
than those of the Wood Pigeon, and of an oval shape.
During incubation the male bird frequently returns to
his mate during the day, and seems to evince the most
solicitous interest in the whole proceedings. The female
sits very closely, and quits her eggs with great reluctance,
in some instances even permitting a person to touch her
while in the nest. The brood is hatched in about seven-
teen or eighteen days, and the young pigeons are generally
able to fly in a month.

The note is a simple " COO-GO-GO/' the last syllables
being more prolonged than the first, and the "cooing" is
heard both in the morning and evening.

The length of the Stock Dove is about fourteen inches ;
the bill pale orange-brown, with greyish edges; the cere
red, excepting the hinder portion, which is white; iris
reddish; head and crown bluish-grey; sides of the neck
glossy, iridescent-green, and purplish-red ; back of neck and
chin bluish-grey. The plumage of the upper part of the
back is a bluish-brown, then bluish-grey, and grey on the
lower part. The wings are dark bluish-grey, with markings
of black ; under wing-coverts grey. The tail is rounded
somewhat, and is bluish-grey for two-thirds of its length,
then marked with a narrow band of lighter colour, and the

FAMILIAR WILD BlltltS.

end dark leaden-grey; the outer edge of the outside
feathers are nearly white. Under tail-coverts grey. The
legs are partly feathered, and, with the toes, are of a bright
carmine-red ; claws light brown.

The female is a trifle smaller than the male, but differs
little in general appearance, the markings being, however,
not quite so distinct, although it is frequently difficult to
distinguish the hen. Slight variations in plumage are
occasionally met with in individual specimens.

The Stock Dove may be kept without any difficulty,
and becomes tame and even affectionate in captivity, if
reared from the nest.

SIZE)

THE DABTFQKD WARBLER.

Sylvia Dartfordioisis.
Motacilla provmcialis.

HIS pretty little warbler is
tolerably well distributed
throughout the south-eastern
counties of England, but is
found most abundantly in
Kent, Surrey, Sussex, and
Middlesex. In some localities
it is commonly known as the
Furze Wreo, a name indicat-
ing its partiality for thick
growths of furze. It remains
with us all the year round,
and may be seen actively
searching for food amongst
its prickly haunts, even when
the branches are thickly laden
with snow.

The Dartford Warbler is
extremely active and nimble
in its movements, and its
habits are restless and untir-
ing. Its food consists for
the most part of insects ; flies,
spiders, grasshoppers, moths,

26 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

small beetles, and caterpillars, all being captured and de-
voured indiscriminately.

In capturing its winged food the movements of the
Dartford Warbler are by no means dissimilar to those of
the common Whitethroat, this bird also often indulging in
short, rapid flights after its prey, and quickly returning to
its perch. The flight is jerky and irregular, and seldom
indulged in to any great distance ; in fact, the bird is rarely
seen to quit the clumps of furze amongst which it
finds its regular food.

The peculiarities of this interesting little bird are,
however, not very easily observed, for it is extremely shy
and cautious in character, and if too sudden or close an
approach is attempted it instantly leaves the more exposed
branches for the security and concealment of the denser
parts.

The note is shrill and piping, but of no great volume
or variation. Its owner would appear anxious to atone
for these deficiencies by continuous repetition, and it may
sometimes he heard "in full vocal strain" for from fifteen
to twenty minutes without cessation. It also frequently
utters a sort of chattering cry, resembling "Cha, cha,
cha." They sing while hovering in the air like a White-
throat, then dart into the furze.

The Dartford Warbler builds its nest of dry stalks,
fibrous twigs, bents of grass, and similar materials; fre-
quently there is an interweaving of wool. The structure
is apparently somewhat loosely put together, but a close
examination generally shows it to be far stronger than it
appears. Furze bushes are chosen as the most suitable
nesting places, and the nest is generally about a couple of
feet from the ground. The eggs number four or five : they

THE DARTFORD WARBLER. 27

are of a greenish-white ground colour, and fully speckled
with olive-brown and ash colour ; around the thicker end
the markings form a pretty distinct belt or zone. There is
a general resemblance in these eggs to those of the White-
throat, the latter, however, being a trifle larger, and of a
dirtier colour.

The Dartford Warbler was first recognised as an inhabit-
ant of Great Britain by Dr. Latham, rather more than a
century ago; the first specimen Avas noticed at Dartford,
in Kent — hence its name.

The entire length of the Dartford Warbler is rather
more than five inches, half of this measurement being
taken up by the tail. The beak is slender, and nearly
black, particularly towards the point; the edges of the
upper mandible and the base of the lower one reddish-yellow ;
i rides reddish ; the head, cheeks, neck, back, and upper tail-
coverts are greyish-black ; the wing-coverts, wing, and tail-
feathers blackish-brown, with edges of a rather lighter
colour ; the chin chestnut brown, with specks of dull white ;
the throat, breast, and sides are chestnut brown, without
spots ; the edge of the wing between the carpal joint and
the spurious wing- feathers is white ; the belly dirty white ;
under surface of the wings, under tail-coverts, and under sur-
face of the tail-feathers slate-grey; the tail is somewhat
pointed, the feathers on the sides being considerably shorter
than the centre ones, and having an edging of light grey.
The legs and toes are pale reddish-brown; claws darker
brown. The young birds as well as the females are lighter
than the males on the under portions of the body, and there
is more brown on the upper parts.

In an aviary the bird is active and cheerful, and its grace-
ful sprightly movements cannot fail to attract attention \

FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

but it is rather difficult to keep in health. It should be
fed the same as a Nightingale.

Since the winter of 1880 these birds have not been ob-
served in Sussex, owing doubtless to the severe snow-storms
which then took place, and it is probable that it will be
a long time before they again become plentiful, as they are
not very migratory in their habits.

POC h \r\o

THE POCHAED

jinas ferina.
Fuligula ferina.

HIS bird is variously known
as the Dun-bird, Red-headed
Poker, and Red-eyed Poker.
The last title has been be-
stowed on it from the peculiar
colour of the eye,, which, as
Yarrell observes, is not seen
in any other British duck.

It will be seen by the
illustration that the Pochard
is a handsome and striking-
looking1 bird, the plumag*e
being exceedingly showy, and
the markings well contrasted
and defined. In the adult
male the central portion of
the beak is pale blue, whilst
the base and point are black ;
the irides are red; the head
and upper part of the neck
all round rich chestnut-red;
the neck below deep black;
the back, scapulars, tertials,
and wing-coverts are freckled

30 FAMILIAR WILL BIRDS.

over with very small grey specks and lines over a ground
of white ; primaries and secondaries nearly uniform grey,
the primaries ending in dark brown ; the secondaries tipped
narrowly with white ; the rump and upper tail-coverts are
nearly black ; and the tail feathers uniform greyish-brown ;
the breast, sides, and belly are a greyish-white, produced by
small grey markings on a white ground ; under tail-
coverts black; legs and toes bluish-grey; membranes
bluish-black.

In the female the bill is black; the irides reddish-
brown ; head and all the back of the neck dusky greyish-
brown ; the back and wings are darker than in the male ;
the lower parts are a dull greyish- white ; and the under
tail-coverts dark grey. The young males at first resemble
the females, but the back feathers and scapulars are brown
with pale edges; the complete adult plumage is assumed
slowly.

This variety is not so slender and graceful in appear-
ance as the Wild Duck, the body being more compact and
short ; it swims low in the water, and from the backward
position of the legs walks slowly and with an awkward gait.

The Pochard is found in most of the large inland lakes
and rivers, as well as on the sea-shore ; in some seasons it
is very abundant, and large numbers are exposed in the
markets and shops for sale. They are by some considered
excellent eating ; we do not think much of them.

This bird is for the most part a night feeder, and its
general character is shy, suspicious, and cautious. It is
not so easily taken in decoy nets as the Wild Duck, as it
dives with great ease, and frequently escapes from the
pipes by passing out under the water. The usual cry is a
low whistle, but when alarmed or annoyed they utter a

THE POCHARD. 31

hoarse kind of croak like kr, kr, kr. The flight is rapid,
though its wings are small for its size, and are moved with
great rapidity and considerable noise.

Pochards are good birds to keep in confinement or on
ornamental waters, as they get tame and readily pair with
other Ducks, especially the Tufted Duck. They feed in
company with Wild Ducks and other water-fowl, but
separate from any but their own kind if compelled to
take flight. Being accomplished divers, they seek their
food by tearing up branches of weeds from the bottom
of the lakes which they frequent. The food consists
principally of aquatic vegetable matter, and when on the
sea-coast, of Crustacea, mollusca, and small fish.

Although the great majority of these birds breed in
much higher latitudes than our own country, no doubt some
few remain with us throughout the year, and are said to
breed regularly in Yorkshire, Dorsetshire, and some of the
midland counties ; they have also been known to breed in
Ireland, and Mr. Hewitson says that a small number re-
main through the summer in Holland, and rear their
broods on the borders of the inland meres so numerous in
that country, whence, most probably, most of those exposed
for sale in this country are obtained.

Great numbers of Pochards are winter visitors only,
making their appearance about the first week in October,
and leaving again in the spring for their breeding stations
in the higher regions of the north.

The nest, which is usually almost entirely concealed
by flags or coarse grass, is built of old dry flags and reeds,
and the eggs are covered with down from the parent bird's
breast. It is placed amongst high grass, rushes, or similar
coarse herbage, and the eggs vary in number from ten to

32 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

twelve. The colour of the eggs is a buffy white, the
length about two inches, and the breadth one and a half.
The young when first hatched are covered with dark brown
down.

The Pochard is well known in America, Denmark,
Sweden, Holland, Russia, North Germany, and some other
countries of Europe. It is also found in the Islands of
Orkney and Shetland.

THE BLACK REDSTART.

Sylvia tithys.
Phcenicura tithys.

HIS elegant little bird, some-
times known as the Black-
start and Black Red-tail, is
of migratory habits, arriving
in this country as a rule
about October, and staying
with us until late in the
ensuing spring. It has
hitherto been considered a
decidedly rare bird; but, al-
though it certainly cannot
be regarded anywhere as
common, there can be no
doubt that it is far more
plentifully distributed than
is usually supposed. The
writer has within the past
few years met with several
in the vicinity of Brighton,
and it is therefore fair to
suppose that the statements
concerning its extreme rarity
arise more from insufficient
observation than actual fact.

34 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

Another well-received and commonly-accepted theory
about the Black Redstart is, that the male bird does not
assume its complete plumage until the spring after hatching.
Attentive study and careful investigation have, however,
clearly shown that this idea is not based upon fact. Until
recently, the Grey Redstart, which is also a winter visitor,
was not believed to be one of our regular visitors; and
there can be no doubt that the males of these last-mentioned
birds have been constantly mistaken for Black Redstarts in
immature plumage.

The Black Redstart is about five and a half inches in
length, the tail measuring two inches and a half. The
beak is black and sharply-pointed, with the corners and
inside of a yellowish colour. The upper part of the body
is a deep bluish-grey; rump red; throat, cheeks, breast,
and belly a sooty black; the vent is a reddish-yellow;
wing-coverts are blackish, bordered with white; the
hindermost of the quill feathers are dark brown with a
broad white edge, forming a long marking on the wing ;
the tail is a yellowish-red, with two feathers of dark brown
in the centre. The female is of a mixed ashen grey on
the upper parts of the body, and underneath ashen grey
tinged with red ; the chin is whitish, and the borders of
the wing feathers are not so strongly defined as in the
male, and of a reddish- white. The young birds in their
first plumage have most of the feathers of the upper and
under parts barred and tipped with black, giving a
speckled appearance.

The Black Redstart in its habits resembles the common
Redstart, although more shy, and it prefers localities of a
more stony character ; it is frequently found near the coast,
on the tops of chalky cliffs, farmyards, and open lands;

THE SLACK REDSTART. 35

where manure heaps are to be met with, it gets on old
posts and rails. It is remarkably nimble and easy in all
its movements, being almost continually in action; it
stands very erect, and has a peculiar jerky movement of
the tail, which is most noticeable immediately it alights.
The song, which is not particularly varied, according to
Eech stein, " consists of three parts : the middle is little
better than a croak, though the upper and lower possess
some high, clear notes ; " the song, such as it is, is con-
tinued the whole day through. The notes uttered resemble
the syllables " fid, fid, tack, tack." The Black Redstart is
called in some places the " Wall Nigh tin gale, " but as
regards vocal ability there is between the two birds little
or no comparison. It feeds principally on caterpillars,
worms, flies, and other insects. It frequently catches its
food in the air like a Fly-catcher, and returns to its post
again after the manner of that bird, at which time the
jerky motion of its tail is particularly noticeable.

The nest, which is large and loose outside, but ex-
tremely round and neat inside, is built of hay, dried grass,
or moss, with a mixture of hair, wool, and usually a few
feathers for a lining, and is usually placed in holes in
walls, ruins, lofty old buildings, and sometimes in the
face of chalky banks or cliffs. About six eggs are laid, of
a pure white ; the shell is unusually clear, and very easily
broken. The bird evinces a strong liking for certain
localities, and will return year after year to the same place.
The flight is easy and graceful, varied by constant undula-
tions.

The Black Redstart is common in Germany, France,
Greece, Spain, Italy, and, indeed, all the southern parts
of Europe, and proportionately rare in the higher latitudes.

FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

It has been met with at various times in the majority
of our English counties, but it is worthy of notice that
Sussex and Devonshire have furnished more specimens
than perhaps all the other localities together. Its habits
in North Germany appear somewhat different from what
they are in this country, as there they are said to be very
familiar — in fact, more like our Robin — in their habits and
manner of life, coming into gardens, farmyards, and
orchards, and even perching on the eaves of the house.

The Black Redstart is an attractive bird in a cage or
aviary, and soon becomes tame. It should be fed and
treated as a Nightingale.

SpOfjED

(3/4

THE SPOTTED FLY-CATCHEE.

Muscicapa grisolct.

11 HE Spotted Fly-catcher is a
! thoroughly familiar visitor to
this country. Its arrival
usually takes place early in
May, but the dates of its
appearance in different locali-
ties are subject to consider-
I able variation. As a rule,
\ it does not make its ap-
pearance until the oak trees
show their leaves. It rarely
1 prolongs its visit to our shores
beyond September or the early
I part of October.

Like most of our well-
known birds, the Spotted Fly-
catcher rejoices in somewhat
of a long list of titles, more
or less applicable to its cha-
racter and habits. It is known
in different localities under
the names of "Beam-bird/-'
" Rafter," " Cobweb-bird,"
" Bee-catcher/' " Post-bird/'

38 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

" Cherry-chopper/' and " Cherry-sucker/' names all show-
ing considerable powers of observation.

This little bird, although of apparently solitary tastes,
is by no means of a shy or retiring disposition, and is most
commonly met with in gardens, orchards, shrubberies, and
well cultivated districts. It delights to haunt the borders
of woods, parks, and pleasure - grounds, and similar
places not far removed from the habitation of man.
It certainly gives the casual observer the impression of
being dull and mopish, as its attitude when perched on
the top of some fence or the extremity of a branch is
listless and seemingly meditative; but a very short
observation will suffice to dispel this idea, for let some
wandering fly or other winged insect venture within a
reasonable distance and the Fly-catcher is after it like a
flash. As a rule it captures its food rapidly and neatly,
a distinct snapping of the beak plainly indicating the
success of its short journey. After securing a morsel in
this way the bird either returns to the post it had
occupied or alights on a similar point of vantage close at
hand. The names Cherry-sucker and Cherry-chopper have
undoubtedly been suggested by the bird's great partiality
for the vicinity of fruit trees, which naturally afford a
good supply of the insects and moths upon which it almost
exclusively feeds. According to some authorities it also
feeds on berries in the autumn, but we have never noticed
it eating fruit of any kind, and think it very improbable.

The song of the Fly-catcher is not very melodious or
long sustained, and has been not inaptly described as " a
weak chirp, having something in it which attracts
attention/'

The nest varies considerably in construction, and is

THE SPOTTED FLY-CATCHER. 39

built of twigs, moss, fibrous roots, or any similar material,
and is lined with down, horsehair, feathers, or cobwebs.
The birds make little or no attempt to conceal their habita-
tion, and exhibit great partiality to the same situation,
using some favourite spot many seasons in succession.
The Fly-catcher builds in a variety of places, amongst the
creeping shrubs that adorn the trellis-work of verandahs,
on the beam of some garden tool -house or shed, in the
sides of faggot stacks, and frequently between a wall
and a tree trained against it. The parent birds take but
little notice of the presence of passers-by, or persons who
may be engaged in work in their immediate neighbour-
hood. The eggs number four or five, they are of a greenish
or greyish white, spotted, blotched, and clouded with
various shades of yellowish-brown or greyish-red. Some
eggs are so richly covered with spots as to almost hide the
ground colour; others have the markings confined to a
zone round the large end ; others are more evenly marked,
and clouded with a faint roseate tinge. The young birds
receive the most assiduous attention from their parents
until they are quite capable of providing for themselves.

In plumage the Spotted Fly-catcher is very plain and
unobtrusive. The beak is flatted, and rather broad at the
base, which is surrounded by a few bristles. Iris is dark
brown ; head brown ; crown spotted with a darker
colour ; sides of the neck streaked with brown ; chin and
throat a dull white, the latter being streaked with brown ;
breast a dull white, tinged at sides with yellowish-brown ;
back a light brown ; tail slightly forked, of a brown colour,
somewhat lighter at the tip; legs, toes, and claws dusky black.

There is very little difference in the appearance of the
sexes, but the young birds present a somewhat speckled

40 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

appearance, owing to the feathers being at first marked
with a pale yellowish- white spot at the end.

The Spotted Fly-catcher is said to be tolerably well
distributed throughout all southern and central Europe,
and along the western coast of Africa. In Great Britain
it is much less common in the extreme north than in the
other portions of the kingdom, and in the islands of
Orkney and Shetland it is very rarely seen ; it is a
regular visitor to some parts of Ireland, but very locally
distributed even in those counties in which it is found.

The Spotted Fly-catcher can with difficulty be kept in
confinement, but when so kept it becomes very tame.

THE TEEE SPAEEOW.

Passer montanus.

HE poet has told us that there
are people in the world to
whom " a primrose on a river's
brim" is a primrose, and
" nothing1 more/' and it is
equally certain that there are
numbers of unobservant mor-
tals to whom a (( sparrow"
is a " sparrow/' and nothing
more, and who are really not
aware of the differences of
plumage, character, habits,
and ways that distinguish the
"Tree Sparrow" from his
more obtrusive and imper-
tinent kinsman, the " House
Sparrow." Unlike the Com-
mon Sparrow, this bird is
extremely timid and wary,
making its home and seeking
the means for its subsistence
often far from human dwell-
ings and villages, and building
its nest in the holes of trees.

42 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

When severe weather prevails for any length of time it
becomes bolder, and may then be seen approaching close
to inhabited places in search of food ; but as soon as the
frost and snow is gone it leaves for the open country again.

The food of the Tree Sparrow principally consists of
any kind of seeds or grain, also insects, and the tender
parts of vegetables. Its movements when on the ground
resemble those of the Common Sparrow, being quick,
active, and lively, and when it settles it has a very
noticeable habit of moving the tail similar to the Wagtail ;
the flight is laboured, heavy, and rather rapid. In the
colder portions of the year these birds congregate in flocks,
and usually keep close together, and hop quickly about on
the ground in search of food.

The Tree Sparrow builds early in the year, and com-
monly selects for the purpose a hole in a tree; but some-
times, it is said, nests in the thatch of a barn or isolated
outhouse, in wood faggots, old walls, and even the old
nests of magpies and crows. The nest is composed of
hay and twigs, lined with wool, down, and feathers: it
is loosely and untidily put together, and is often used by
the same birds for several seasons in succession. Sometimes
the nest is domed over, but in the majority of cases the
nest is cup-shaped. The eggs vary in number from four
to six, and differ very much in colour and markings ;
usually they are of a dull white colour, speckled all over
with different shades of light greyish-brown, or
brownish-grey. Two or three broods are generally pro-
duced in the year. The old birds are very anxious over
their offspring, and if their nest is approached will hop
restlessly from branch to branch, uttering their shrill
chirping alarm-note.

THE TREE SPARROW. 43

The song of the Tree Sparrow is somewhat similar to
that of the Common Sparrow, but is higher, consisting of
numerous chirps, varied by some agreeable notes, which are
continued for some minutes in a loud key ; but the entire
performance is unmistakably sparrow-like.

This bird is said to be indigenous in most European
countries, and is also to be found in many parts of Asia.
As regards our own country, it is locally migratory, arriving
in Sussex about October in considerable numbers, and
departing in April, or earlier. It has been, and still
is, frequently caught in company with other birds by the
bird-catchers on the South Downs. It is also met with
in Worcestershire, Lancashire, Shropshire, Northampton-
shire, Surrey, Essex, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and a few
other counties. In Devonshire and Cornwall it would
appear to be almost unknown; and the same remark,
according to other writers, applies to Ireland and
Scotland.

The length of the Tree Sparrow is about five and a half
inches. The iris is dark brown; head chocolate, and a
black streak runs through the eye to the beak; sides of
the neck white, with a triangular spot of black on the
cheek ; throat black ; back of the neck chestnut, streaked
with black; breast greyish- white, tinged with brown on
the sides; back chestnut, with black streaks or spots.
The wings have two distinct bands of white across them,
and are of a blackish -brown colour; the under wing-coverts
are pale fawn colour; the tail feathers are nearly all of
equal length : they are of a greyish-brown, edged with
yellowish-grey. The legs are a pale yellowish-brown, as
are also the toes and claws.

The female, unlike the House Sparrow, resembles

44 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

its mate in plumage and general appearance, but is not
quite so large ; hence the sexes are very difficult to dis-
tinguishj, With the exception of a little extra brightness
in the spring, the plumage of the Tree Sparrow remains
unaltered all the year round.

•

THE BBAMBLING.

Fringilla montifringilla.

HE Brambling, Mountain
Finch, or Bramble Finch, is a
handsome bird, visiting1 this
country in winter only, the
number of visitors being ap-
parently dependent upon the
length and severity of the
cold weather. Its native
home is Nor way, Sweden, Lap-
land, and Denmark, though it
is met with in some of the
southern countries of Europe,
and is said to be found in
large flocks in the beech forests
of Thuringia. In Great
Britain it visits most of the
counties, but is more gener-
ally seen in Dorsetshire,
Devonshire, Cornwall, Here-
fordshire, Surrey, Sussex,
Gloucestershire, and the
northern counties. It is also
to be met with in many parts
of Scotland and- Ireland.

46 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

The bird is very commonly taken in the winter by bird-
catchers.

The Brambling usually arrives in Great Britain during
the month of October or November, and leaves us again
in the following March. It is to a certain extent a
sociable bird in its habits, being generally seen in flocks,
and very frequently in the company of other small birds
(especially Chaffinches) with similar tastes and diet.
Uncultivated and waste places and beech and fir planta-
tions are the favourite resorts of this bird.

The nest is built in the fork of some tolerably high
tree, frequently a fir or birch, and is composed of moss
and lichen, interwoven with pieces of bark of the birch
tree, with a lining of feathers and wool. It is a handsome
structure, but not quite so neat and compact as that of the
Chaffinch. The eggs number five or six : they are of a
greenish colour, spotted and streaked with reddish-brown,
but they differ in size and markings. The bird does not
readily become tame in confinement, nor easily accustomed
to its surroundings, although many instances are on record
of its breeding during captivity ; it has also been known
to cross with a Chaffinch.

As an article of food some persons profess to admire
the flesh of the Brambling, but the taste is bitter, and not
likely to be generally acceptable.

The flight is quick and undulatory, and when the bird
is disturbed it seeks refuge in some neighbouring tree.
At night, plantations of larch, fir, or laurels are usually
sought fo iv roosting places.

The Brambling feeds on grain, beech-mast, and the
seeds of grasses and other plants. Like the Chaffinch, it
also eats insects, upon which it feeds its young almost

THE B RAMBLING. 47

entirely. It seeks its food in wild mountainous places,
and does not approach inhabited localities unless driven
near them by stress of weather. The note of the bird
is a continuous " chuck, chuck/' " fayh, fayh," which
in confinement is often uttered during night-time ; but in
the spring time this is changed to a far more pleasing
warble, several low notes being uttered in succession,
followed by a hoarser note, which is somewhat prolonged ;
this portion of its song has been compared to the words
" Chip-u-wa-a-ay."

As already intimated, the Brambling is a handsome
little fellow. The length of the bird is about six and a
quarter inches ; the upper part of the bill is dusky, and the
lower portion yellowish-white; his brown; top and sides
of the head and back of neck, in the winter, rich mottled
grey and black, the feathers being black at the base and
grey at the tip ; in the spring these brown tips disappear,
leaving a beautiful velvety black, which remains until the
following autumn; chin, throat, and upper part of breast rich
orange fawn, lower part a yellowish-white; the greater wing-
coverts are black, tipped with orange fawn ; lesser coverts
a rich orange fawn, feathers tipped with white ; when the
wing is closed there is an oblique bar across it ; the larger
under wing-coverts have a small tuft of elongated feathers,
and the lesser coverts are bright yellow ; the feathers on
the rump are white, which is very conspicuous in flight ;
tail is black, the feathers edged with buffy white, the outer
feathers having a patch of white ; the tail is forked, upper
coverts are black, lower ones white or yellowish-white ;
legs, toes, and claws a lightish brown.

The female is smaller than the male ; her plumage is
less pure in colour, and the markings are more mottled in

FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

their appearance, and she lacks the black head. The
young resemble the females in plumage.

Bramblings have been occasionally met with of a pure
white colour, and others with large patches of white about
them ; some specimens have the chin and throat black.

W H i J c

THE WHINCHAT.

Motacilla rubetra.
Saxicola rubetra.

IIS pretty and active little
bird is one of our best-known
summer visitors. It is com-
paratively common in York-
shire, Norfolk, Suffolk,
Northumberland, Dorset,
Devon, Wiltshire, Hampshire,
Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex,
Kent, and Gloucestershire. It
is found in Cornwall, but the
bird does not seem so partial
to the extreme west as to
some of the other counties
above mentioned. In Scot-
land it is found in several
districts, and is well distributed
throughout Ireland.

As is indicated by its
name, the Whinchat is most
frequently to be seen in
localities which abound in
furzes, or, as the Scotch call
them, whins; but it by no
means confines its presence to

50 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

these spots. Any open, bare, or stony common, with a bush
here and there, and even the hedges o£ meadows or arable
lands, are visited with more or less frequency.

The Whinchat is first seen in the eastern and southern
parts of this country about the middle of April, and is said
to arrive in the more northerly districts some week or fort-
night later. It takes its departure either during the end of
September or the commencement of the following month,
but its movements, both as regards coming and going,
depend very much upon the backward or forward state of
the season.

The habits of the Whinchat are very similar to those
of the Stonechat, excepting in the matter of migration,
the latter in very many instances spending the winter
with us, while the former never does.

The Whiuchat is very sprightly and active in its
movements, darting rapidly from bush to bush, and
continually uttering its familiar "chat," ".chat/' "chat/'
The food consists of flies, beetles, and other insects, slugs,
worms, caterpillars, and small snails. Flies and other
winged food are captured frequently in the air. The flight
is tolerably rapid and easy, and the bird (like the Stonechat)
has a peculiar habit of shuffling the wings and tail. When
disturbed it usually flies to some neighbouring bush,
keeping close along the ground until it reaches its next
resting place, and then perching itself on the topmost branch.
In addition to the note already spoken of the Whinchat
has a pleasing song, melodious, though somewhat
uncertain ; the song is sometimes uttered when the bird
is perched on the highest spray of a bush, and sometimes
whilst hovering in the air, and often when sitting on
telegraph wires.

THE WHINCHAT. 51

The nest, which is by no means easy to discover, is
placed either on the ground, or very close to it, under tufts
of grass or sides of railway cuttings ; the lower portion of
a small furze bush is a very favourite place. It is built of
dried grass stalks and moss, and lined with* finer pieces of
the same material, with occasional additions of wool or
hair. Five or six eggs are laid, of a glossy bluish-green
colour, with very small specks of dull reddish-brown ; the
eggs, however, are subject to some little variation. The
young Whinchats make their appearance generally during
the latter part of May or the early part of June. The
parents exhibit considerable anxiety concerning their off-
spring, and when the nest is too closely approached both
of them usually fly round only at a short distance, settling
on any stem of herbage, stone, or tuft of grass, and all
the time uttering their peculiar cry or call-note, immediately
returning when the intruder has quitted the vicinity.

The length of the male Whinchat is about five inches
and a quarter ; the bill black and shiny ; there is a streak
of buff from the base of the beak to the eye; irides
brown; over the lore, eye, and ear-coverts an elongated
streak of white ; top of the head, neck, back, and smaller
wing-coverts a mixture of pale and dark brown, the
feathers being dark in the centre and light at the circum-
ference ; greater wing-coverts black ; the spurious wing
white ; wings dark brown ; secondaries and tertials edged
with light brown ; the wings reach nearly to the end of
the tail ; the tail is white at the base, the end half being
dark brown, edged with pale brown ; the chin and a line
from thence reaching beyond the lower edge of the ear-
coverts white; throat and breast delicate fawn colour,
passing into pale buff on the belly and under tail-coverts ;

52 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

the under surface of the end of the tail is greyish-black ;
legs, toes, and claws black. In the female the white on
the wing and over the eye is less conspicuous, and on
the under parts the markings are not so distinct as in
the male.

The young birds, until after the first moult, have the
head, breast, and all the upper part speckled, and after the
autumn moult the males and young birds resemble the
females, but the sex can be distinguished by the bars on
the wings being larger in the males.

The Whinchat is known in Sussex by the name of
Barley-ear and Barley-bird, no doubt on account of its
habit of getting on the sheaves of corn when they are
stacked up.

S C O J E

THE COMMON SCOTER.

Oidemia nigra.
Ana snigra.

HE Common Scoter, which is
also known as the Black Duck
and Black Scoter, is a well-
known bird, especially during
the winter months, on many
portions of the coasts of Great
Britain. It was at one time
considered a winter visitor only,
but nearly every summer they
are to be seen on the sea, off
the shores of most of our
southern counties.

The Common Scoter is of very
sombre, unpretending appear-
ance, and its plumage possesses
none of the varied and striking
colours so noticeable in most
of the Duck family. The
adult male is about the size of a
Wild Duck, but is very differ-
ent in regard to beauty of
plumage. It has the beak
black, except the central ridge
of the upper mandible, which is

54 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

orange ; the irides brown ; all the plumage deep black ; legs
and toes dusky black, the webs darker, or quite black.

The bill of the Scoter is rather peculiar in shape, the
base being much swollen, and the tip flattened, and
terminated by a large flat nail; the nostrils are placed
nearly in the middle ; they are oval in shape and somewhat
elevated.

The tail is short and sharply pointed, and the legs are
situated considerably behind the centre of gravity. This
last arrangement is the cause of a very awkward gait when
the bird walks or tries to run, but is very common amongst
those members of the Duck family which pass little of their
time on shore.

The food of the Scoter is said to consist almost entirely
of the soft bodies of mussels and similar bivalves; these
the birds obtain by diving, and for this purpose they
approach the shores at each flood-tide. Yarrell states that
in consequence of this habit, " the fishermen on the coast,
at the ebb-tide, spread their nets horizontally about two or
three feet above the beds of shell-fish which are most
frequented by these birds. Upon the return of the tide
the Scoters approach in great numbers, and diving for their
food, become entangled in the meshes of the floating nets ;
and in this way it is said that twenty or thirty dozen have
been taken in a single tide/'

The Scoter, however, is not very good eating, the
flesh being coarse and oily, and the flavour fishy in the
extreme, as usual amongst sea varieties. The Romish
Church, however (on this very account, probably), permits
the eating of this bird in Lent, and consequently it is in
considerable demand in Roman Catholic countries.

It very seldom breeds in Great Britain, according to

THE COMMON SCOTER. 65

earlier writers, but is now known to nest in some parts
of Scotland, and in Scandinavia and Iceland it does so
regularly. The nest, which is a mere hollow scraped in
the ground, is composed of a little dried grass, a few
sticks or leaves, and other vegetable material, and lined
with a quantity of the bird's own down. The usual number
of eggs is six : they are of a pale buff colour, tinged with
green ; the length is about two inches and a half, and the
breadth one inch and three-quarters. The young when
first hatched are covered with a dark-brown down above
and greyer underneath. It is said that after the females
have laid their eggs the males associate in large flocks,
and slowly draw towards the coast.

The Common Scoter is said to be a late breeder, the
eggs seldom being laid before June. According to some
authorities it does not breed until two or more years old,
which accounts for so many being seen upon the open sea
far from land both off the British Islands and in the
North Sea, during the ordinary breeding season.

The call-note is something like a grating " kr, kr, kr,"
but the drakes have a double call-note which is not
unmusical.

The Scoter is found in the northern parts of Europe,
Asia, and America, and in winter vast numbers are to be
found on the coasts of Picardy, Holland, and many portions
of the Mediterranean sea-board. It is by far the com-
monest Duck that visits the Sussex coast in winter,
and sometimes hundreds can be seen together ; but they
are always very shy, and it is seldom a shot can be got
at them.

They always live on the open sea in winter, and do
not come on land to feed, like some Ducks. Mr. Seebohm,

.56

FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

in his book of " British Birds, " mentions that there
are few ducks more exclusively marine in their habits
or more uniformly gregarious than the Common Scoter.
At their breeding grounds in the Arctic regions they
seldom ascend the rivers far from the ocean, or associate
with other ducks, except of their own class. Thus .by
their habits as much as by their distinctive colour and
appearance, they comprise one of the most sharply-marked
varieties of the large Duck family.

THE

GREY WAGTAIL.

Motacilla sulphured.
Motacilla boarula.

[HERE is perhaps no mem-
ber of the feathered tribes
found in the British Isles
more elegant in shape,
more nimble and dexter-
ous in movement, or hand-
somer in plumage, than
the Grey Wagtail. The
most indifferent observer,
who may chance to watch
a pair of these pretty lit-
tle creatures by the side
of some sparkling stream,
now running rapidly over
stone and weed, and now
flying for a few yards
with graceful undulatory
motion, cannot fail to be
charmed with their beauty
and agility.

The Grey Wagtail is a
continual resident in all
the southern parts of
Europe, and is said to be

58 FAMILIAR WILL BIRDS.

met with in India, Java, and Japan. In our own country
it is fairly distributed over most parts, with the ex-
ception of the extreme northern counties.

The Grey Wagtail is of a retiring and solitary dis-
position, seldom being seen except singly or at most in
pairs, and apparently eschewing altogether the society of
other birds. Its favourite haunts are the sides of running
streams, ditches, quarries containing water, ponds and
pools, or in fact at any piece of water, if only in a tub;
although like other wagtails it may now and then be
seen running quickly along the top of some shed or farm
outhouse in pursuit of flies or small insects. The food
consists of insects, very small water-snails, and the various
sorts of minute living creatures that abound on the margins
of watery places in general.

The flight of the Grey Wagtail is similar to that of the
other members of the family, being light, tolerably fast,
and composed of a series of rapid and graceful undulations.
The note is not very strong, and may be described as a
shrill " tweet tweet/' which is repeated in a louder key,
and more frequently when the bird is suddenly disturbed
and takes to flight. Under any circumstances, however,
it seldom flies to any great distance, hut soon returns to
the waterside as before.

Its favourite nesting place is amongst the grass,
or stones, or hollows in banks, and in most cases pretty
near the sides of a stream. Instances, however, are upon
record of this bird selecting very different homes, such as a
greenhouse (passing to and fro through a broken square of
glass) or a window-sill ; and Morris mentions a case in which
the nest was built between some railway switches, within
close proximity of passing trains. The nest is constructed

THE GREY WAGTAIL. 59

of dried bents of hay and grass, fibrous roots and twigs
carefully lined with hair, wool, or a few feathers. About
six eggs are laid, of a greyish or dirtyish white, with
markings of light-grey and brown ; they are of a short oval
shape, and vary exceedingly in colour and marking.

The male bird is about eight inches in length, about
half of which measurement is taken up by the tail.
The bill is dusky brown ; a dark grey streak passes from
the bill through the eye. Above the iris is a light buff-
coloured mark, and a similar one below; the forehead,
crown, back of neck and sides of head are grey, slightly
tinged with greenish yellow ; the chin and throat are
black, edged with white, and buff-white in winter, chang-
ing to grey until the beginning of April. The breast,
especially the lower part, is a beautiful bright yellow, in
winter greyish-white with a faint tinge of yellow ; black,
grey, and yellowish towards the tail. The wings are
dusky black, with markings of white, and the tail is
brownish-black, with the outer feathers white; the under
tail coverts are bright yellow, and the legs, toes, and claws
are of a brownish-yellow. The female is smaller than the
male, the throat is tinged with yellow, and in summer the
black patch changes to dark grey mottled with yellowish-
grey. The young birds do not assume the adult plumage
until after the first autumnal moult. They have a very
noticeable habit of expanding the tail on first alighting,
thereby plainly showing the white feathers on each side.

These wagtails are migrating birds, leaving the north
for the south about August or September, and returning
about February or March. They are very partial to
localities, and the same birds return to the same quarters
year after year ; they appear to visit certain places at

60 FAMILIAR WILD SIKVS.

stated times, and can generally be found in a particular
spot if their habits are closely studied ; they also exhibit
extreme pugnacity of disposition, and will readily show
fight if interfered with.

It has a peculiar habit of remaining motionless if
surprised, and will even allow anyone to pass near it with-
out moving, although immediately afterwards it will fly off
uttering its short call note. It is a very nice bird for an
aviary, where it becomes very tame, and is universally
admired. Under such circumstances it requires plenty of
water and the same treatment as a nightingale.

The Grey Wagtail is often called the Dun Wagtail.

a***^ ^^L

S wi E W

THE SMEW.

Mergus albellus.

HE Smew, or, as it is fre-
quently called, the Smee, is
a bird of handsome ap-
pearance, the plumage con-
sisting of striking contrasts,
and the head ornamented
with a plume. It is about
the size of the Wig-eon.

Smews are winter visitors
only, and their numbers vary
very considerably. In some
winters they are scarce in the
extreme, whilst in others they
are met with in comparative
frequency. Under all cir-
cumstances, however, the
specimens most commonly
procurable are the females
and young males, and the
latter are generally known as
"Red Headed Smews."

In addition to the sea-coast
these birds resort to most
of the slow muddv rivers,

62 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

inland lakes, fens, and indeed any large sheet of fresh
water.

The eastern coasts of our own country are the parts
most usually resorted to ; in Germany and Holland the
bird is well known, and it is said to be found in France,
Switzerland, Provence, and Italy. It has not yet
been observed in the Arctic portions of North America, and
only very rarely in the United States.

. Crustacea, aquatic insects of every description, and the
smaller kinds of fish, are the principal items of their diet,
and are procured largely by diving.

The Smew is certainly the most accomplished diver
and swimmer of its tribe. It seems to be as much at
home beneath the water as upon the surface — indeed, the
rapidity and ease with which fish are pursued and captured
are almost incredible. On terra jirma its method of pro-
gression is slow, awkward, and ungainly : a state of
things immediately attributable to the position of the legs,
which are placed very near the end of the body. The flight
is strong and straight, and the birds are noted for the
long distances over which their journeys occasionally
extend. Whilst engaged in feeding, and indeed at all
times, the Smew is a shy, cautious, and vigilant bird,
difficult of approach, and always warily looking out for
danger.

In the winter the birds are gregarious, and are
met with in small flocks, feeding together for mutual
safety.

In the spring of the year these birds leave our islands
and proceed farther north ; they breed in localities situated
in high northern or north-eastern latitudes, and at this
period of their life very little detailed information is obtain-

THE SMEW. 63

able about them. The eggs, which closely resemble those
of the Wigeon, are of a creamy-whitish colour, finely
grained, and slightly glossy — seven or eight are usually laid.

In the adult male the bill is one inch and a half in
length, of a bluish-lead colour, and the nail horny and
white ; the upper mandible is curved at the extremity, and
the edges of both mandibles are furnished with saw-like
teeth which point directly backward. The irides reddish-
brown ; at the base of the bill on each side a black patch
which just surrounds the eye ; from the crown of the head
and down the back of it, another dark patch elongated
and tinged with green, the dark feathers mixed with others
that are wrhite, and all somewhat elongated, forming a crest;
the other parts of the head, the chin, and all the neck
white ; the back black ; the rump, upper tail coverts, and
tail-feathers ash-grey ; the points of the wings greyish-
black, with two crescent-shaped lines of black, one before,
and one behind the point of the wing ; the small wing
coverts and scapulars white, the latter edged with black ;
the great coverts and secondaries black tipped with white,
forming two narrow bands of white ; the primaries nearly
black; tertials ash-grey merging into lead-grey; all
the under surface of the body pure white ; the sides under
the wing and the flanks barred with narrow ash-grey
lines ; legs, toes, and membranes bluish and lead-grey ;
the hind toe has a pendant lobe or membrane attached
to it. The entire length is about seventeen inches and
a half.

Females are considerably smaller than the males, seldom
measuring more than fourteen and a half inches. The
plumage of the female is different from that of the other sex ;
the top of the head is reddish bro svn ; the bands of white are

64 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

much narrower, and the rest of the markings are duller and
less contrasted.

Young males for the first twelvemonth resemble the
female, the white markings not making their appearance
until the second autumn month.

The young females are also some time assuming their
complete plumage.

THE BLACK-HEADED BUNTING.

Ember iza schoeniculus.

" Reed
Spar-

HIS pretty little bird, like
many other common mem-
bers of the feathered tribes,
rejoices in a variety of
names, such as
Bunting/' " Water
row/' " Chink/' " Black
Bonnet/' " Passerine Bunt-
ing," and " Reed Sparrow,"
and it is probably far better
known under most or the
latter of these names than
by the one assigned to it by
the ornithologist.

The Black-headed Bunt-
ing is common in most of
the European countries, al-
though in the northern por-
tions of the Continent it is
a summer resident only. In
the British Isles the same
migratory habit is observ-
able, and the birds move
" down South " about

66 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

October, retracing- their journey generally about the
following March or April. During the winter months
they may always be met with in larger assemblages than
during the milder seasons of the year.

The favourite haunts of the Black-headed Bunting are
the rushy sides of slowly running streams, the reed beds
in ditches and ponds, and indeed any place where water
fringed with tall thickly-growing reeds, grass, or rushes
can be found.

Its habits are active and sprightly ; it seldom remains
long in one position, but flits from stalk to stalk, clinging
to reeds or rushes, which frequently bend beneath its weight
almost to the surface of the water. When disturbed the birds
sometimes fly to some distant bend of the stream, but more
commonly settle down again quickly amongst the rushes.
Some little circumspection is necessary to watch them
closely, as they are inclined to be cautious and shy, and do
not willingly permit a very close inspection.

The flight is strong and somewhat undulating, the bird
flapping its wings several times in rapid succession; it
alights abruptly, and plainly displays at such times the
white markings of the tail, which is expanded and closed
in a very noticeable manner. Small aquatic insects, flies,
and the seeds of the various grasses and plants found in
their haunts, constitute the principal articles of their diet.

The song of the Black-headed Bunting is not very
striking, being nothing more than a couple of sharp notes,
repeated every now and again, and usually when the bird is
swaying up and down upon some reed or osier twig.
Meyer describes the "song" as consisting of the syllable
" sherrip " pronounced quickly, a mere chirp of two notes,
the first repeated three or four times, the last single and

THE BLACK-HEADED BUNTING. 67

moie sharp. It also utters a sharp twitter if compelled
suddenly to take to flight.

In building the nest, dry grasses, parts of fine rushes,
and dried bents of hay are used, the interior being comfort-
ably and neatly lined with reed-down, thin stalks, moss, or
hair. The nest is generally placed on or near the ground,
and usually close to the water's edge, amongst coarse
grass or sedges, and occasionally in the lowest parts of
some convenient bush.

Four or five eggs are laid, about the early part of May ,
they vary in the colour of the ground tints, being some-
times a pale purplish brown, and at other times purply
white, greenish, and brownish ; they are prettily streaked
and spotted with darker shades of the same colour.

The Black-head?d Bunting, like many larger and more
pretentious birds, is credited with a strong anxiety for the
safety of its young, and has been known to adopt various
stratagems and ruses to divert the attention of the too
curious and intrusive visitor.

The length of this bird is about six inches, perhaps a
little more ; the bill is dusky brown, and from the base a
white streak passes backwards to the white collar which
surrounds the neck. The sides and top of the head are a
rich velvety black, bounded by a white collar which comes
down to the breast. In the fall of the year, and until the
following spring, these white feathers become shaded with
grey, and the black ones have brownish tips. Chin and
throat black, ending in a downward point. Breast, a dull
bluish-white, darker towards the sides, and streaked with
brown. Back, a blackish colour, the feathers being bor-
dered with reddish -brown, and mingled with grey. After
the autumn moult all these markings become more or less

68 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

confused. The wings are blackish, with the feathers edged
with brown, the longer ones being much darker. The tail,
which is a little forked, is rather long and brownish-black,
the outside feathers being white. Under tail-coverts are
white. Legs, toes, and claws are a dusky brown. The
female is smaller than the male, and differs very much
from it in appearance. The head is brownish instead of
black, the white collar is replaced with plumage of a dusky-
brown, and the throat and breast is a dull white.

The young birds resemble the female, but the markings
are duller, and the sides of the head are greyish-brown.
The black parts of the head do not make their appearance
in the young male birds until after the autumn moult,
and the white collar increases in distinctness as the birds
approach maturity.

It is a handsome addition to the aviary, and may be
kept without much difficulty.

SPOTTED WOODPECltfEI\
( /a flVbi^L SIZE)

THE GEEAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER.

Pious major.

FIIS interesting bird, although
not so frequently met with
as the Green Woodpecker,
can hardly be called scarce,
as it is comparatively com-
mon in some parts of Eng-
land, especially in the mid-
land and southern counties.
It is variously known by the
local names of "Witwall/'
" Woodnacker/' "Woodpie,"
" French-pie/' and " Great
Black and White Wood-
pecker."

This bird may be con-
sidered as one of the best
representatives of the Scan-
sores or climbers, and is dis-
tinguished by the bill being
equal in depth and breadth.
The toes are placed two in
front and two behind, the
nostrils are covered with
bristles, and the tail is stiff and

70 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

rounded. The last-named appendage is continually used
in supporting the bird when climbing and in assisting it to
maintain its upright position. Like other members of this
interesting family, the tongue is long, and is so arranged
that it can be protruded to a considerable extent ; its sides
and tip are furnished with barbed filaments of a horny
nature, which serve the purpose of impaling the insects
upon which the creature feeds, and this process is further
perfected by the copious secretion of a glutinous saliva.
Indeed, the entire structure of the bird furnishes one of the
most admirable examples of complete adaptability that can
possibly come under the notice of the student of natural
history. Moving rapidly about on the trunks and larger
branches in search of food, the tapping noise so frequently
alluded to by poets and describers of woodland beauties is
produced by the bird when striking the bark of a tree, either
to dislodge the bark, or induce any concealed insects to
make themselves visible to their persevering devourer. It is
partial to woods, parks, forests, and clumps of trees, where
it may occasionally be seen.

The bird is shy in its disposition, and seems to have a
strong antipathy to being watched, disappearing behind a
trunk or bough directly it finds itself in the presence of
spectators. On a still afternoon the sharp jarring sounds
of the Woodpecker at work may be heard for a very
considerable distance, but it is by no means easy to ascer-
tain the precise locality whence they emanate. The note
of this bird resembles the syllable " gich," and this is
uttered only once at a time, and at long intervening in-
tervals.

As may be easily imagined, the Great Spotted Woodpecker
confines itself almost entirely to an insect diet, eating, with

THE GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER. 71

considerable impartiality, spiders, moths, flies, beetles, grubs,
caterpillars, and indeed anything and everything of a
similar description. According to some naturalists, however,
the bird is by no means averse to fruit.

The Great Spotted Woodpecker usually, if not in-
variably, inhabits holes in trees, and the eggs are deposited
upon the decayed and dusty floor of the hole, with no
further efforts in the direction of nest-making. Generally
a hole is selected extending some couple of feet into the
tree. The eggs average four or five in number, and are
about an inch in length ; they are white, and have a very
smooth, glossy appearance. The parents are much attached
to their nest and its contents, the female especially showing
strong signs of anxiety and affection. The young birds
are generally able to take care of themslves about the
middle of July.

The flight is short and undulating; the bird is very
seldom seen on the ground, and when there its move-
ments are slow, and it generally progresses in a series
of hops.

The beak of the adult is about the same length as the
head, of a dark shiny horn colour, with greyish bristly
feathers covering the nostrils; forehead, ear coverts, and a
circle round the eye, a dull, dirty white ; top of head, dark
bluish black; back of head, bright scarlet; nape of neck,
black — this colour passing forward in a stripe to the beak,
and backward towards the wings; back, rump and tail
coverts, black. The wings are black variegated with white
marks, and there is a large, well-defined patch of white on
the scapulars. The tail is partly black, some of the feathers
being tipped and marked with white. The throat, neck,
breast, and belly dirty white ; vent and under tail-coverts,

FAMILIAR WILL BIRDS.

red. The length of the bird is about nine and a half inches.
The female has no red plumage on the head, and the young
birds, although in most respects similar to the old birds,
have the top of the head red, and the back part black.

The Great Spotted Woodpecker is found in Denmark,
Norway, Sweden, and Russia, and thence downwards to
Italy. In our own country it seldom travels far above the
midland counties, although instances are recorded of its
being met with in Scotland. It is considered probable
that in some cases the bird is migratory.

[\OC \ PI PIT.

SIZE)

THE EOCK PIPIT.

Anthus aquations.
Alauda obscura.

HE Rock Pipit, or, as it is
variously called, " Shore
Pipit/' "Rock Lark/' and
" Sea Titling/' although pos-
sessing a general similarity
to the Tree Pipit and Meadow
Pipit, is somewhat larger and
much darker on the throat
and breast, whilst its plumage
on the upper portions of the
body is more of an olive
brown.

This bird is well known in
all the northern parts of
Europe, as well as the more
temperate parts, and it may
even be met with in Green-
land and some other districts
of the Polar regions. It is a
thoroughly hardy bird, and
is additionally interesting
from its being, as Morris de-
scribes it, "one of our true
' ab origine ' birds."

74 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

Its name is no doubt owing- to the partiality evinced
by it for rocky and hilly places, but it by no means con-
fines itself to these localities, and is very frequently to be
met with in spots of quite a different character. It would
seem to be especially partial to low, flat, shingly or marshy
flats that are now and then covered by the sea; and in these
place the bird may be commonly observed diligently seek-
ing for the small marine insects which form a favourite
item in its diet.

The Rock Pipit is generally to be found in the imme-
diate vicinity of several more of its own species, although
they do not congregate in flocks. When disturbed it
seldom flies to any great distance, but contents itself with
a short flitting to a more secure spot in the immediate
neighbourhood, uttering an uneasy " cheep " of alarm and
distrust.

Its food consists of marine insects, worms, and probably
some sorts of seeds. The song is not of a very elaborate
character, and consists of the single note " cheep " re-
peated more or less according to circumstances. In the
summer time the bird undoubtedly indulges occasionally in
a more prolonged effort at harmony, but not sufficiently to
warrant the title of songster ; there is, however, a cheeri-
ness in his voice that is always acceptable.

The Rock Pipit commences nesting usually about the end
of April or the beginning of May, and as a rule selects some
place close to the sea-shore. The nest is placed sometimes
on the ground, and sometimes in a hole in the rocks or
banks, but almost always in some place protected by some
projection or eminence. Dry grass, stalks of sea or water
plants, and fine fibres are used in building the nest, which
in most cases is lined with wool, fine mess, or hair. The

THE ROCK PIPIT. 75

eggs vary in number from four to six, and differ very much
in appearance. They are of a pale yellowish or brownish-
white, spotted with brownish-red, the markings being
thick and run together at the larger end. Occasionally,
however, the eggs are almost entirely brown, and at other
times they may be seen of a greenish-grey colour with
a streak at the thicker end. The surface of the eggs is
dull and devoid of polish.

The Rock Pipit, although not a migratory bird, is
certainly given to extensive movements in our own country,
for the birds are regularly found in the autumn and winter
on many portions of the coast, from which they as regu-
larly disappear in the spring.

The male bird is very nearly six and three-quarter
inches in length, and the female a trifle less, but there is
no great difference in the plumage. The bill is dusky in
colour, both upper and lower mandibles being yellowish at the
base; iris, a deep brown; a narrow whitish or yellowish-white
streak runs over the iris, and another beneath the hinder
part ; in some birds the upper streak is not always very
easily seen. The base of the bill has a few short bristly
feathers; the head and crown are brown, slightly tinged
with olive; the neck on the sides is a greenish-white
streaked with brown ; and the back is pretty much the
same as the head. Chin and throat a dull yellowish-white,
the latter streaked with brown; breast, a dull greenish-
white with brown streaks and spots, turning lower down
into a yellowish-white with fewer streaks; the sides are
olive-brown ; the back is a dull greenish-brown, the centre
of each feather being dark brown. The tail is rather long,
and extends about an inch and a half beyond the closed
wings ; it is dusky in colour, and the outside feathers are

FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

webbed with white, the central feathers being shorter than
the others. The wings are dusky, edged with pale olive.
Legs and toes, reddish-brown ; claws black and curved,
especially the hinder one, which is longer than the rest.

The pretty olive tinges in the plumage at some seasons
of the year change to a greyish tint.

THE COEMOEANT.

Pelecanus carbo.

HIS bird is variously known
as the Great Cormorant, the
Black Cormorant, etc., and
is of very peculiar appear-
ance. It is well distributed
over Great Britain, and is a
well-known habitue of all
the wild and rocky portions
of our sea-coasts.

The Cormorant closely re-
sembles in general appear-
ance the Shag, or Green
Cormorant, and no doubt the
two birds are frequently mis-
taken the one for the other.
The bird under description is,
however, larger, blacker in
plumage, and possesses one
or two other characteristics
not observable in the Shag.

The Cormorant is popularly
supposed to be possessed of
unusual intelligence, and it
has for a long time been used

78 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

in some of the Eastern countries to catch fish for its
owners. Yarreli states : " The Chinese are said to use
them at the present time ; the bird is taken to the water-
side, a metal ring- or leather strap, by way of collar, is put
on his neck, and he is then set at liberty to catch a fish,
which he brings to hand when called, a small cord being
attached to him while in training-, to insure his return.
Having satisfied the wants of his master, the collar is taken
off, and the bird is then allowed to fish for himself."

This practice was also indulged in to a certain extent
by our ancestors, as Pennant speaks of one " presented to
him by Mr. Wood, Master of the Cormorants to King
Charles I."

The bird is very easily domesticated, and in confinement
speedily shows signs of attachment and partiality to its
owner.

During the breeding season these birds resort to certain
stations, and at these periods congregate sometimes in
large numbers, appearing to live together in peace and
harmony.

The flight is rapid and strong, and very near the sur-
face of the water. They swim and dive with great ease,
and are capable of remaining beneath the water for some
considerable time. Indeed, the distance accomplished by
the bird in these subaqueous journeys is almost the first
thing that excites the wonder and admiration of the ob-
server.

The nest is large, and made up of sticks, seaweed, and
long coarse grass ; the higher parts of rocks and cliffs being
the localities generally preferred.

Four, five, and even six eggs are laid, chalky-white in
colour, varied with pale blue ; the surface of the shell is

THE CORMORANT. 79

rough, and the egg is similarly shaped at each end. In pro-
portion to the size of the bird, the egg is small.

The bird feeds on fish, and, as already stated, is a skilful
and successful fisher. Its appetite is voracious, and it
not unfrequently pays a heavy penalty for its want of
discrimination. Several instances are recorded in which the
Cormorant has transfixed an eel with the lower mandible,
and, not being able to kill or disengage its prey, has been
strangled by the fish twining itself round its captor's
throat.

Besides pursuing its food in the water the bird often
perches on rocks, posts, or overhanging boughs, where it
watches for stray aquatic wanderers that may pass. Any
such luckless fish is pursued and caught with unerring
certainty.

Although generally speaking an oceanic bird, the
Cormorant is no stranger to fresh water ; rivers, lakes,
and ponds that are abundantly supplied with fish being
commonly resorted to. According to some naturalists,
the bird has been met with on the Chinese rivers a
thousand miles from the sea- shore.

The length of the male bird is about three feet ; in the
spring and early summer the bill is pale brown, the point
horny, hooked, and sharp; irides green; forehead, crown,
nape and part of the neck black, mixed with many white, hair-
like feathers ; the black feathers on the back of the head
elongated, and forming a crest ; the back and wing coverts
dark brown, the feathers margined with black ; quill
feathers and tail black ; lower part of the neck all round,
with the breast and all the under-surface of the body, a
rich velvet-like bluish-black, except a patch on the thigh,
which is white ; the legs, toes, and membranes black. The

FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

shape of the foot is peculiar, the outside toe being the
longest, and the inner one the shortest ; the middle toe is
serrated on the inner edge ; the tail is stiff and rigid.

The female is the smaller bird, but her crest is often
longer than that of the male.

The young birds are dull brown, the plumage in places
being mottled with white.

(% [iAjbn\L SIZE)

THE CEEEPER.

Certhia familiaris.

HE Creeper is one of those
birds whose habits and
general disposition are such
as to suggest a greater
degree of rarity than really
corresponds with facts. It
is known generally as the
"Tree Creep/' or "Tree
Climber," and is found
more or less in all parts of
the British Islands. Russia,
Norway, Denmark, Sweden,
Germany, and Italy, are also
mentioned as countries in
which this little bird is
commonly met with.

The Creeper is wonderfully
active and industrious, and
is seldom seen unless engaged
in procuring food either for
itself or its progeny. It is
very shy and retiring, and as
soon as it becomes aware
that it is the subject of

82 FAMILIAR WILL BIRDS.

inquisitive examination, it very quickly places the entire
thickness of the tree on which it may be at work between
itself and the too curious observer. In addition to its
shyness, the Creeper's plumage is very sober and unob-
trusive in its character, and closely resembles in colour the
rough ashen-brown bark of trees, so that were it not for the
piping " twee-twee " that it so frequently utters, it would
be very difficult indeed to discover its whereabouts.

The Creeper feeds principally upon spiders and the
various insects that abound in the bark of trees, and upon
the caterpillars and beetles that are commonly found in
trees, or upon old fences and wooden buildings. In ascend-
ing the trunk of a tree the movements of the bird are
rapid and continuous, the tail, which is composed of stiff
feathers, being curved down upon the bark, and affording
its owner considerable support and assistance. The upward
progress of the bird consists of a series of short quick
movements — so quick, indeed, as almost to convey the idea
of sliding over the surface. Every part is carefully
scrutinised, and when the search, which terminates at the
top of the tree, is concluded, it quickly flits to the next
tree and recommences its labours, which always begin
at the base and terminate at the top. The flight is undu-
lating, and very seldom sustained for any great distance.

The nest of the Creeper is usually placed in some crack
of a tree, or some sheltering inequality in the bark, and
is built of dried grass, straws, twigs, and fibrous roots,
lined with feathers and wool. Occasionally it is found in
some crevice of a woodstack. The nest is a handsome
little structure, and well worthy of notice; very frequently
the crevice selected is too large for the intended domicile,
and the superfluous space is cleverly filled up with a

THE CREEPER. 83

quantity of very fine twigs. The number of eggs varies
from four or five up to seven or eight. They are of a
white colour, spotted — sometimes ait the thick end,
land sometimes all over — with reddish, or reddish-brown.
The young ones are hatched in about a fortnight, and
generally make their appearance about the beginning of
May. The Creeper rears two broods in the year, according
to Naumann ; but the second brood is not so large as the
first, usually numbering from three to five.

Woods and plantations are the common resorts of the
Creeper, but it may be seen very often by the careful observer
in those quiet country lanes where old and isolated trees are
found along the hedgeside. According to some authorities
the Creeper may be observed, usually in the morning and
evening, by the side of watercourses and ditches, either for
the purpose of drinking or bathing.

The length of this bird is from five to five and a quarter
inches ; the bill is long, slender, and curved downwards, the
upper part being ridged and larger than the lower ; the
lower mandible is a dull yellowish- white, the upper, dusky-
brown. The irides are brown, and a white streak runs over
the eye to the nape, where it ends in a spot. The sides of
the head, the crown and neck, are brownish-ash colour, with
dull white spots and markings of a yellowish shade; a
dusky streak runs backwards from the eye. Chin and
throat are white; breast, a soiled silvery -white, yellowish
on the lower part and the sides. Back resembles the
neck. The wings are dusky, the feathers of the coverts
being tipped with white. A band of yellowish-white runs
across a portion of the wing, which forms a straight line
when the wing is extended, and a wavy mark when it is
closed.

84 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

The tail is a reddish or brownish ash colour, yellowish
towards the outer edge ; upper tail coverts are tinged with
tawny rust colour ; the under tail coverts, reddish-yellow
tipped with white. The legs, toes, and claws are pale
yellow-brown ; the claws are very long and much curved.

The female resembles the male in size and plumage.

DOVE

2/s

THE TUKTLE DOVE.

Colwnba turtur.
Turtur auritus.

ERHAPS no bird, either in
this country or elsewhere, is
so inseparably connected
with pleasing and senti-
mental associations as the
Turtle Dove.

Its strong unswerving at-
tachment to its mate, its
gentle confiding disposition,
and elegant appearance, have
been from time immemorial
the admiration of mankind.
These pleasing characteristics
have furnished unfailing
themes and apt similes for
the poet, the preacher, the
philosopher, and the moral-
ist ; whilst the numerous
records of its gentleness
and conjugal devotion are
thoroughly well known to
everyone, and have long
since become proverbial.
Notwithstanding this

86 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

pleasing list of excellences, it must be confessed that
at times the deportment of the Turtle Dove in cap-
tivity is subject to some considerable variations. In
an aviary it frequently becomes quarrelsome and apt
to bully and drive the smaller birds away from their
food ; and even when more than a pair are kept together
without any other sorts of birds violent quarrels will
take place between them, and the weaker bird is often
subjected to harsh and unneighbourly treatment.

Owing to the fact that the Turtle Dove is more generally
kept in confinement than any other member of the large
family to which it belongs, it is much better known as
a domestic pet than as a Familiar Wild Bird. Indeed,
as a wild bird it is not so frequently seen or so commonly
known as may be imagined. Turtle Doves are of entirely
migratory habits, travelling to us from the African
Continent, and also visiting many of the European coun-
tries. They make their appearance with us about the
beginning of May, although the forwardness or otherwise
of the spring affects their movements to a great extent,
and some remain in this country until the end of September.
In the order of their migration the males usually precede
the females.

. The food consists of the various sorts of grain, peas
(to which they are extremely partial), and seeds of all de-
scriptions. They invariably feed upon the ground, and are
constant visitors to large open tracts of freshly-sown land.
Cornfields that border upon small or large streams are
very favourite haunts, the birds being fond of drinking and
bathing. They usually feed and go about in small flocks
varying in numbers from half a dozen up to twenty or
more, and at the close of the day's foraging they retire to

TEE TURTLE LOVE. 87

roost amongst the higher branches of trees. The flight is
easy, buoyant, and rapid.

On their first appearance they do not seem to be
particularly shy, but as the nesting operations proceed
they become much more cautious, and are then approached
with difficulty. The nest is a rather slovenly struc-
ture. It is composed of twigs and sticks carelessly put
together in a tree, and not .very far removed from the
ground, seldom more than fifteen or twenty feet, and some-
times not more than four feet. The eggs are pure white,
and of a veiy shiny, polished appearance. They never exceed
two in number, and are of a long oval shape, with slightly
pointed extremities. At times the eggs may be plainly
seen through the bottom of the nest, so little is the trouble
bestowed by the birds in the construction of their home.

The Turtle Dove is nearly thirteen inches in length,
the bill dark greyish-black, much flattened in the centre,
and reddish on the inside; iris bright yellowish-red,
the bare space around it light red ; sides of the head
yellowish, changing to pink on the neck and breast ; back
of neck and crown light greyish-blue; on the sides of
the neck there is a rounded patch of black, each feather
being tipped with white and surrounded with a bluish
tinge ; in front it is a. delicate light purplish red,
fading into grey ; chin pale brown ; back greyish-brown
above, and brownish on the lower part. The tail is long
and much rounded; it is greyish-brown, many of the
feathers being tipped with white. The wings are brownish-
and greyish-brown,with markings of black in the centre of
the feathers ; the under wing-coverts are grey, and the
under tail-coverts white. The legs and toes are red, and
the claws blackish-brown.

FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

The female is of a rather lighter appearance than
her mate, and as a rule not quite so large, but the sex is
difficult to distinguish. The young birds are at first
covered .with a soft yellowish down, and the full plumage
is only gradually obtained, not completely until their
second year.

The note of the Turtle Dove closely resembles the
syllables " Tur-tur " repeated more or less rapidly — a cir-
cumstance to which its name may be no doubt attributed.

THE SHORE LARK.

Alauda alpsstris.
Alaada cornuta.

T is a very regrettable circum-
stance that the appearances
of the Shore Lark in this
country should be so few and
far between, as it is an active
and sprightly bird, inter-
esting in its habits, and
handsome in plumage. In
Mr. Morris's well-known
work on " Birds " only four
instances are enumerated in
which it had been met with
in Great Britain, but doubt-
less, as with many other song-
sters of reputed rarity, its
extreme scarceness may
more properly be attributed
to the laxity of ornitholo-
gical observation than to
actual fact.

The Shore Lark may be
met with almost every year in
the neighbourhood of Brigh-
ton, also about Dover, and

90 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

some parts of Norfolk ; and very probably it visits several
other localities with more or less regularity that have
hitherto escaped the cognisance of the naturalist. But be
this as it may, it cannot be denied that the bird is rarer and
much more sparingly distributed than could be wished.

The Shore Lark is found in the largest numbers in
North America, especially on the colder shores, and it is
also said to be seen in the northern parts of Europe and
Asia. According to Temminck, it breeds in Holland, and
remains in that country throughout the entire year.
The bird is hardy in its constitution, and although
compelled by severe weather to move southward in
search of milder quarters, as soon as the summer appears
it immediately retraces its steps towards the cold and
barren coasts of the far North.

Its migration, if it may be so called, is generally
accomplished in small companies, and the birds do not
undertake long journeys at a time, but straggle, as it
were, from one place to another as the exigencies of the
weather may necessitate.

The Shore Lark is somewhat shy in its habits, ex-
cept during incubation, at which time the bird becomes
bolder. After the brood is hatched it evinces great
anxiety and solicitude for its offspring. The parent is
said to be quite an expert in the various ruses adopted
by many birds for decoying intruders from the nest,
fluttering along the ground with assumed lameness, and
continually uttering a low plaintive cry.

The nest is always placed upon the ground, and is not
easily discovered, as the materials used in its construction
are of the same colour and appearance as the surrounding
ground ; it is circular in shape and built of fine grass. Four

THE SHORE LARK. 91

or five eggs are usually laid, which are of a greyish-white,
with spots of palish-blue and brown. Mr. Audubon says
that when the young birds are hatched, or rather when
they are fledged, and before they are able to fly strongly,
they leave the nest and follow their parents on the ground,
separating when pursued, and each one endeavouring to
conceal itself in the mossy herbage that surrounds their
home. On these occasions the young birds make use of
their wings to help them in their progress, and succeed in
making themselves scarce with wonderful celerity. If pur-
sued for any length of time the old birds follow the in-
truder overhead, loudly protesting against and lamenting
the proceedings.

It has been already stated that the Shore Lark is said
to breed in Holland, but the favourite nesting-places of
this bird are to be found in the rocky sterile regions of the
North, particularly where broad barren tracts of rocky land
extend inland from the coast, and where moss, lichen, and
scanty growths of grass are the only signs of vegetation.

The length is about seven inches; the bill is bluish,
and black at the tip. The iris is dark brown ; there is a
yellow streak over it, and the nostrils are protected with
a few bristly feathers. From the base of the bill a streak
of black passes to the eye and spreads out behind it. The
forehead is yellow, changing after the autumnal moult to
a greenish-ash colour ; on the front of the crown there is
a broad black band, ending on each side with a few long
pointed feathers which the bird raises and depresses at
pleasure; the back of the head black; crown, greyish-
brown. Back of neck greyish-brown, tinged with red;
chin, throat, and sides of neck a beautiful pale yellow,
white in summer; breast a pale yellow, with a collar of

92 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

black across the upper part, turning1 in the winter to a
dusky-brown ; the lower part of the breast dull white,
and towards the sides reddish-brown. Winj*s dark-

brown with markings of reddish-brown and white. Tail
black, the outer feather on each side being- partly white,
upper tail-coverts brown ; lower ones, dull white. The
legs, toes, and claws are bluish-black ; the hind claw is
longer than the toe, and very nearly straight.

The female is not quite so large as the male. The streak
over the eye is pale yellow ; the band across the breast
is brownish-black fringed with yellow, and the marking
of the plumage generally is not so bright or well defined.

The song of the Shore Lark is variable and short, but
sweet in tone, and usually uttered when the bird is flying.
The bird is not at all difficult to keep in confinement, as
a specimen that was caught near Brighton some time ago
was placed in an aviary and lived there for more than live
vears.

G A \\ \\ ET.

SIZE

THE GANNET.

Pvleanius bassanus.
Sula bassana.

HE Gaimet, or Soland Goose,
is one of the largest birds in-
habiting the coasts of Great
Britain. It remains with
us throughout the entire
year, but shifts its locality
according to the varying
seasons. Enormous numbers
of Gannets congregate at
various well-known localities
during the spring and
autumn. The most noted
breeding stations are Lundy
Island (one spot there being
known as Gannet Cove), the
Skellig Isles, the Isle of
Ailsa, St. Kilda, in the
Outer Hebrides, Souliskerry,
near the Orkneys, and the
famous Bass Rock, in the
Firth of Forth. At these
spots, at the seasons above
indicated, Gannets may be
seen in thousands.

94 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

Seebohm says, " The scene is a most imposing one.
Thousands of Gannets are sailing to and fro before the
mighty cliffs ; every part of the rocks that can support a
nest is crowded with birds ; birds are constantly coming to
and leaving the cliffs ; the harsh notes of quarrelling
Gannets sound in all directions; whilst numbers are to be
seen sitting quietly on the greensward on the top of the
rocks, or fast asleep, with their bills and heads almost
hidden amongst their dorsal plumage/'

After the autumn, these birds move towards the
southern parts of the coast, and are then seen, especially off
the Cornish shores, in great abundance.

The Gannet feeds entirely upon fish, more especially
upon those that swim near the surface of the water, such as
sprats, pilchards, and herrings. The method in which it
secures its food is quite different from that pursued by any
other of our fish-eating birds. Mr. Couch (in his Fauna)
observes that the Gannet, "' traversing the air in all direc-
tions, as soon as it discovers the fish it rises to such a
height as experience shows best calculated to carry it by a
downward motion to the required depth ; and then partially
closing its wings, it falls perpendicularly on its prey, and
rarely without success ; the time between the plunge and
immersion being about fifteen seconds/'

The Gannet is possessed of very considerable powers of
flight, and ranges over a large extent of sea in search of
food, from one hundred to two hundred miles in a day
being frequently traversed.

During the fishing season these birds boldly approach
the fishermen, and are frequently caught by becoming en-
tangled in the nets.

The nest of the Gannet is merely a large mass or

THE GANNET. 95

collection of seaweed or grass ; only one egg is laid, which
is about three inches in length and nearly two inches in
breadth. The colour is a chalky- white, very slightly tinged
with pale blue. It does not long retain its original colour,
but soon becomes soiled and dirty. The young birds
shortly after being hatched are covered with a white
down; this grows very quickly, and gives the birds
somewhat the appearance of large powder-puffs or lumps
of cotton.

Gannets are very quiet and easily approached during the
time of incubation ; and in many places, where they are not
annoyed or interfered with, will allow themselves to be ap-
proached and even handled without quitting the nest.
Sometimes^ however, they betray some irritation at being
disturbed, and assume a threatening attitude by widely
opening their beaks.

The length of this bird is about thirty-four inches ; the
bill is of a horny greyish- white, serrated at the edges, very
large at the base, and compressed towards the point ; the
angle of the gape extends beyond the line of the eye ; face
and throat naked, the skin of the face being blue ; irides pale
straw colour ; the head and neck buff colour ; all the rest of
the plumage white, except the wing primaries, which are
black ; the line of the bones of the legs and toes in
front green, the remainder, with the membranes, nearly
black. The tail is rather short and pointed, the centre
feathers being the longest.

In the young Gannet the beak is almost black ; the
skin of the face bluish-black ; the general plumage is black,
varied with lines and triangular marks of white. This gives
the bird a strong resemblance to the young of the Red-
throated Diver.

96 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

The note of the Gannet is a harsh discordant croak,
resembling the syllables carra often repeated, and modified
in different ways, it is most usually heard during the
breeding-season or when the birds are fishing or disturbed.

It is stated that the Gannet requires four years to arrive
at maturity, and that until the bird has attained this age it
does not breed.

They are easily kept in confinement if taken from the
nest, and will become very tame, but are very expensive to
keep, as the quantity of fish they consume is something
enormous.

q U/v i L

( 3/s fJ/\rdf^AL SIZE )

THE QUAIL.

Perdix coturnix.
Tetrao coturnix.

HIS well-known bird was
formerly much more common
in Great Britain than it is
at the present day; indeed,
less than a century ago, the
Quail was regularly found
in great abundance in many
parts of the country where
now its appearance is con-
sidered a rarity. In Ireland
it is said their numbers have
shown no signs of diminish-
ing. In Scotland they have
never been common. York-
shire, Norfolk, Berkshire,
Lincolnshire, Surrey, and
Devonshire may be men-
tioned as places in which
they are met with more
frequently than elsewhere.

At one time the Quail was
regarded purely as a sum-
mer visitor, but numerous
instances are recorded of

98 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

their having been shot in this country during the winter,
so that their migratory habits are certainly not universal.

In its general appearance this bird may be described as a
" partridge in miniature.'" The male is occasionally poly-
amous. The note (which is confined to the male bird) is a
shrill whistling cry rapidly repeated three or four times in
succession.

The Quail does not spend much time or trouble .in con-
structing a nest, but contents itself by scraping out a
small hollow in the ground, and placing therein a few bits
of hay, straw, dried grass, and stalks. The number of eggs
laid is about ten, but nests are occasionally found contain-
ing a larger number. The colour of the eggs is yellowish-
white, or greenish, blotched and speckled with brown; they
measure a little more than an inch in length, and not quite
an inch in breadth. Wheatfields, or patches of clover and
grass, are the places usually selected for nesting in. The
young birds are able to follow the old birds very soon
after they are hatched, and feed upon grain, seeds, insects,
and small tender leaves.

The flight of the Quail is straight and rapid. Generally
the birds keep very close to the ground, and after being
fired at or alarmed once, show great reluctance to take
wing a second time. They are very fond of frequenting
stubble-fields, and many are killed by the sportsman when
in search of partridges.

The flesh of this bird is delicate in flavour, and much
esteemed as an article of food. Enormous quantities are
sent to this country from France, and find a ready sale in
our markets and poulterers' shops, generally after a course
of fattening in England.

But although the Quail is not a common bird in Great

THE QUAIL. 99

Britain, it is found in the south of Europe in numbers that
are said almost to defy calculation. In the month of April
these birds arrive from Africa on the islands of the Grecian
Archipelago in " countless thousands/' and Yarrell states
" that as many as one hundred thousand have been taken
in one day on the west side of the kingdom of Naples.'''
In these migratory flights, which are performed during
the night, the males arrive first, and it is stated that
amongst the large numbers sent to us annually by the
French bird-dealers, and in the first lots, there are more
males than females. In captivity these birds feed freely,
and rather rapidly. They are particularly partial to hemp
and millet seeds.

The geographical range over which the Quail is distri-
buted is a wide one, as it is met with in Africa from the
Cape of Good Hope to Egypt, India, China, and the
countries of Europe as far north as Scandinavia.

Ornithologists are now agreed that the Quails men-
tioned in Scripture, as furnishing the children of Israel
with fctod, are identical with the bird here described.

In the adult male the beak is brownish-grey ; the irides
hazel ; top of the head dark brown, with a pale wood-
brown streak from the base of the beak on each side over
the eye and the ear-coverts, and a narrow streak of the
same colour over the crown of the head to the nape of the
neck ; the plumage of the back, wings, rump, and tail,
brown, with lighter-coloured shafts and streaks of wood-
brown ; wing-primaries dusky-brown, mottled with light
brown ; chin and throat white, bounded by two half -circu-
lar dark-brown bands descending from the ear-coverts,
and with a black patch at the bottom in front ; breast, pale
chestnut-brown, with the shafts of the feathers straw

100

FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

colour ; lower part of the breast, belly, vent, and under
tail-coverts, yellowish-white ; the flanks streaked with pale
chestnut ; legs, toes, and claws, pale brown.

The female has no marks descending down the sides of
the neck, nor the black patch in front, but the feathers on
her breast are strongly marked with a small dark spot on
each side of the light straw-coloured shaft.

Young birds resemble the female ; the black patch on
the neck of the males is not assumed until their second
moult. The entire length of the full-grown Quail is
seven inches.

THE OYSTEK-CATCHEE.

Hcematopus ostralegus.

HIS handsome and active bird
is tolerably common on the
shores of Great Britain, and
may be generally fouiid
where long ridges of shingle
banks, and beds of low rocks,
promise a plentiful supply
of mussels and other shell-
fish. The very strongly
marked contrasts in the
plumage, which are so notice-
able in flight, have gained
for it the name of Sea-pie,
and perhaps it is better
known under this title than
any other.

The Oyster-catcher is not
so entirely devoted to the sea-
shore as its names might im-
ply, for it is very frequently
seen on the banks of large
rivers and lakes, many miles
inland; and in some parts
of the country it migrates

102 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

every summer into the interior, and breeds upon the banks
of rivers and small islets. At these times the Oyster-
catcher feeds upon the worms and grubs to be found in
pastures and grass fields; but the ordinary food consists
of limpets, mussels and other bivalves, sea- worms, and
marine insects.

The bill of this bird is well worthy of notice, as it is
admirably adapted for procuring the particular food to
which its owner is so partial. It is about three inches in
length, greatly compressed, and terminates in a thin verti-
cal wedge ; indeed, just the instrument to insert between
the two portions of a bivalve and extract the contents.
The Oyster-catcher is quite an adept in the use of his bill,
and it is said that even the most stubbornly fixed limpets
are dislodged with ease and rapidity.

In the winter months these birds congregate in flocks
differing considerably in size ; but when the spring ap-
proaches these flocks are broken up and the birds pair for
the breeding season ; but the Oyster-catcher is naturally
of social habits, and even after pairing many couples will
proceed to the same locality and breed together.

Very little trouble is expended on the nest, as in the
majority of cases the eggs are laid in a slight hollow
scratched in the bare shingly ground. Four eggs are
usually laid, of a yellowish stone colour, spotted with ash-
grey and dark brown ; they are about two inches in length
and one inch and a half in breadth.

The male is very attentive to his mate during incuba-
tion, and both birds exhibit great anxiety to decoy or frighten
away any troublesome intruder. The female sits for about
three weeks, and the young birds when hatched are covered
with a pretty soft down of a greyish-brown colour.

THE OYSTER-CATCHER. 103

The Oyster-catcher is very easily domesticated. Some
years ago a flock was kept in the grounds of the Royal
Pavilion, Brighton, where they attracted a great deal of
attention. The writer well recollects an Oyster-catcher in
the west of England that lived many years in a fowl-yard ;
it was quite tame, and associated with the fowls and
pigeons in the most friendly way. According to Pennant,
the Finns hold this bird in the utmost detestation ; for they
suppose that when they are engaged in seal-chasing it
gives timely notice to the seals of the approach of the
hunters, and by that means frightens away their game.
The peasants in the north-eastern parts of Scotland, how-
ever, regard it very differently, and consider its early ap-
pearance inland as a sure sign of a mild and productive
season.

In addition to Great Britain, the Oyster-catcher is
found on all the coasts of Southern Europe, Denmark,
Sweden, and the Scandinavian shores ; and it is said to be
well-known throughout Russia, Siberia, and Kamschatka,
and to breed on most of the large Arctic flats.

The length of the Oyster-catcher is about sixteen inches ;
the beak at the base is deep orange, growing lighter towards
the tip; the irides crimson; the eyelids reddish-orange,
and there is a white spot below the eye ; the head, neck,
upper part of the breast, and greatest part of the wings
are black ; there is a white bar across the wings, and the
tail is white about half-way from the rump, the end half
being black. All the under portions of the body and wings
are white. The legs and toes (the latter being three in
number and all directed forward) are of a purplish flesh
colour; the claws black. In the winter months the birds
have a gorget of white round the front of the neck, and in

104

FAMILIAR WILL BIRDS.

some instances this mark is retained over a great portion of
the spring.

The Oyster-catcher is a rather shy bird, not easy to
be approached closely except during the breeding season,
when it becomes bolder and apparently less cautious. When
alarmed it utters a peculiar shrill whistling cry, which
also may be often heard at night as the birds are going to
or returning from their feeding grounds.

Occasional instances have been noted of this bird
having been met with almost entirely white, and others
of a pale-fawn colour.

COLE JIJ

(4/5 ^VOR,AL SIZE

THE COLE TIT.

Par us ater.

HIS pretty and active little
bird is very well known in
almost every county in Great
Britain. It is certainly not
so numerous as the Blue Tit,
but its geographical distri-
bution is quite as wide and
impartial. The places of
resort most favoured by
these birds are woods, plan-
tations, and shrubberies,
especially those containing
any sorts of fir trees, birch,
or oak; not unfrequently they
may be observed in little
parties in furze-brakes and
tangled thickets near streams.
The general habits of the
Cole Tit are very similar to
those of the Blue Tit ; it is
incessantly in motion, actively
searching for its food among
the branches of the trees
above mentioned. It is very

106 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

careful and persistent in its scrutiny of the bough upon
which it is engaged, running nimbly round the under sur-
face and the sides; and then, when its curiosity is satisfied,,
proceeding with a short fluttering flight to the next.

The Cole Tit is a very sociable little bird, and may
frequently be seen in the company of Golden Crests,
Lesser Red-polls, and similar small tree-frequenting birds,
roving about in quest of food. This consists principally
of insects, caterpillars, and beech masts, and seeds of various
kinds. Mr. Tegetmeier gives an instance in the Field of
its feeding on filberts.

This bird remains with us all the year round, and
seems to be very little affected by cold weather, as it is
found in mid-winter in the most northerly parts of Scot-
land, and even in higher latitudes.

The flight is seldom a very extended one. The motion of
the wings may be described as " a continual fluttering "
and the movement altogether weak, short, and unsteady.
In the winter-time these birds are fond of roosting in leafy
evergreens and the protected sides of haystacks.

The bird makes no pretensions to vocal proficiency ; the
note is not very harmonious — indeed, it may rather be
called harsh and shrill — it sounds very much like the
syllables " che-chee, che-chee.^ When a number of these
birds are engaged in searching for food the shrill cheeping
note is perpetually uttered. In addition to this note, the
bird, when sitting in its nest, makes an unpleasant hissing
noise suggestive of snakes if molested or too closely ap-
proached.

The nest is very frequently placed in a hole in a tree,
and as a rule at a less height from the ground than that
of the other Titmice; but various places are made use

THE COLE TIT. 107

of for nesting purposes, such as a hole in a wall or bank,
the hollows about the exposed roots of trees, or even the
deserted hole of a mouse or rat. Sometimes a small hole
will be enlarged by the birds themselves.

The nest is made up of a mass of fine moss, dry grass,
hair, and wool; it is always lined very thickly with
feathers. Six or eight eggs are laid ; they resemble the
eggs of the rest of the Titmice — white spotted with red.
The male bird is said to often take his turn at sitting,
and incubation lasts about fourteen days.

The young birds are at first fed almost entirely on
caterpillars ; where these birds are plentiful large numbers
of caterpillars must be destroyed at these times, as the
parents are most assiduous in their attention to their off-
spring, and may be observed going to and from the nest
almost continually.

The adult male has the beak black ; the irides hazel ; the
cheeks and sides of the neck, white ; the head, ear-coverts,
and the lower part of the sides of the neck before the wing,
black ; back and wing-coverts bluish-grey, the smaller and
larger coverts ending with a spot of white on each feather,
forming two conspicuous white bars across the wings ; the
quill feathers brownish-grey, edged with green ; the
tertials tipped with dull white ; upper tail-coverts greenish
fawn colour ; tail feathers brownish-grey ; tail slightly
forked. The chin and throat black ; breast dull white ;
belly, flanks, and under tail-coverts fawn colour, tinged
with green ; under surface of wing and tail feathers, grey ;
legs, toes, and claws black. The entire length of the bird
is about four inches and a quarter. The Cole Tit may at
once be distinguished from the Marsh Tit by the white
patch on the nape.

108

FAMILIAR WILL BIRDS.

There is very little difference in the plumage of the
sexes, but in the young birds the white markings are not
so pure, and the black colour about the head is less decided.

The Cole Tit has been met with in Norway, and is said
to be a resident in Sweden and Siberia. It is tolerably
well distributed over many of the European countries.

GU I LLE M OT
( 2/7 ^TiVL SIZE)

THE GUILLEMOT.

Uria troile.

HIS somewhat odd-looking
bird is perhaps better known
as the " Foolish Guillemot/'
and is also, in some places,
called the Willock, or Tin-
kershere. It is one of the
commonest of the species,
and is met with in the tide-
way of the open sea at all
times of the year, and all
round the coasts of Great
Britain. During the breed-
ing season these birds as-
semble in very large numbers
on the rocky islands and wild
cliffs which are to be found
on various portions of our
shores, and at these places
they breed in the company of
Razorbills, Puffins, Gulls,
and other sea-going birds.
It is worthy of remark that,
although the above-men-
tioned birds make use of the

110 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

same spot as a breeding-place at one and the same time,
yet no confusion or misunderstandings arise between the
occupants. The Guillemots keep a ledge of the rock
entirely to themselves ; the Razorbills and Gulls do like-
wise; and we have it on undoubted authority that the
various families keep strictly to their own precincts, and do
not attempt any intrusion on the domains of their neigh-
bours. This is the more remarkable, as upon some of the
larger breeding stations the various birds may be reckoned
by many thousands.

The Guillemot lays only one egg ; it is large considering
the size of the bird, and shaped somewhat like a pear ; the
colour is a fine bluish-green, more or less blotched and
streaked with dark reddish-brown or black ; the length is
about three inches and a quarter, and nearly two inches
in width. The eggs of this bird differ very considerably
in colour, some being almost of a white ground, and others
with scarcely any secondary markings on them. The
Guillemot deposits her egg upon the bare rock, making no
attempt to form a nest ; incubation lasts nearly a month,
during which time the parent bird sits perfectly upright,
and certainly presents a very comical appearance. The
eggs are considerably prized as articles of food, and the
dangerous process of collecting them is on many parts
of the coast a regular occupation.

The young Guillemots are at first covered with a sort
of bristly hair which appears to be quite impervious to the
water. Until the young birds are taken to the water they
are fed with portions of fish. It has often puzzled natur-
alists to account for the modus operandi adopted by the
old birds in transporting their progeny to the sea. Mr.
Waterton, in his account of a visit to the rock-bird breed-

THE GUILLEMOT. Ill

ing localities about Flamborough Head says, " I carried a
good telescope with me; through it I saw numbers of
young Guillemots diving and sporting on the sea, quite
unable to fly ; and I observed others on the ledges of the
rocks as I went down among them, in such situations that,
had they attempted to fall into the waves beneath, they
would have been killed by striking against the projecting
points of the intervening sharp and rugged rocks ; where-
fore I concluded that the information of the rock-climbers
was correct, viz., that the young birds were carried to the
sea on the backs of the old ones/'

The Guillemot is essentially a quiet bird, and seldom
gives vent to any utterance save an occasional guttural
croak. It will even allow its egg to be stolen without
making any vocal sign of displeasure or remonstrance.

These birds with their young forsake their breeding
stations about the end of August ; they then take to the
open sea, remaining there both day and night, and in some
cases at great distances from the land.

The Guillemot bears a strong general resemblance to
the Divers, both in appearance and habits. The food con-
sists of small fishes of various kinds, and also small crus-
tacea. It swims and dives with ease, but is seen to very
little advantage on dry land, where its movements are awk-
ward and apparently uncertain.

When submerged, the bird uses the wings as a propel-
ling power, and the rapidity of its motion, coupled with
its easy and graceful evolutions, are matters of astonish-
ment to all who have had an opportunity of observing
them.

In the summer months the bill, which is of moderate
length, strong and pointed, is black; the inside of the

112

FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

mouth orange ; the irides very dark brown ; head, neck
all round at the upper part, and on the sides and hind part
below, the back, tail, and wings, except the secondaries, sooty
black ; lower part of neck in front, and all the under sur-
face of the body pure white ; legs, toes, and their mem-
branes, dark brownish-black ; the whole length of the male
bird is about eighteen inches. The females are a trifle
smaller than the males.

In addition to our own seas, the common Guillemot is
found in summer in various parts of Scandinavia, the Faroe
Islands, and as far in the Arctic seas as Nova Zembla and
Spitzbergen. It is also met with on the coasts of Holland
and France, and very occasionally in the Mediterranean
Sea.

DOVE

THE BOOK DOVE.

Columla livia.

HE Rock Dove derives its name
from the character of the
localities in which it princi-
pally abounds, and which are
almost invariably of a rocky
nature. The cliffs of the
Scottish coast, and the York-
shire cliffs of Flamborough
and Speeton, may be men-
tioned as places where these
birds may be found in great
abundance, but, indeed, al-
most everywhere that the
coast offers a secure home
and shelter the Rock Dove
may be said to be at home
in greater or less numbers.

Denmark, Norway, Swe-
den, the islands of the Medi-
terranean, North Africa and
Teneriffe are spoken of as the
homes of these birds, and in.
Great Britain the eastern and
western coasts of the more

114 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

northerly counties afford convenient retreats for one of the
most widely distributed of the pigeon family.

The Rock Dove is undoubtedly the founder of the
almost numberless varieties of tame pigeons with which
our poultry-yards abound. In speaking of this fact, Morris
observes, " If you look at each and every one of the pigeons
that fly about the barn and fold-yard, or rise in a flock
from the open field, or are hung up in the poulterer's shop
in the narrowest streets of London, you will see that almost
every individual bird, let the varied colours of its plumage
be what they may, has a patch of white over the tail. This
will at once show you that it must derive its origin from
the species at present before us, and not, as naturally might
be supposed, from the common wild pigeon of the woods/'

The length of the Rock Dove is about thirteen inches ;
bill dullish-brown slightly tinged with yellow, much flat-
tened about the middle. Iris, pale orange ; head, crown,
and back of neck, bluish-grey ; sides of neck beautifully
glossed with sheeny reflections of purply-red and green ;
chin, bluish- grey ; throat, purple and green according to
the light; breast and back, light bluish-grey, and white
on the rump.

The wings measure twenty-five or twenty-six inches
when expanded ; they are of a dull bluish-grey, with two
conspicuous bands of black ; under wing-coverts are white.
The tail is bluish-grey, tipped at the end with a band of
black about an inch in depth. The legs and toes are red
and scaled on the front and upper parts ; claws, a brownish-
black. The female is less bright in colour than the male,
and the bands on wings and tail are browner, but the sexes
are not easily distinguished. The feathers are very loosely
set, and are easily pulled out.

THE ROCK DOVE. 115

In the matter of food the Rock Dove is almost a vege-
tarian, its diet consisting mostly of peas, oats, barley,
wheat, and various other grains and seeds. It, however,
exhibits a marked partiality for the most valuable crops,
and the depredation committed in some localities by these
birds is very serious, as they feed rapidly and continuously,
and travel considerable distances in search of their favourite
food. As may be imagined, the farmers and market-
gardeners patronised by them regard them with great
animosity, and destroy them whenever and wherever an
opportunity offers. Some idea of the amount of grain con-
sumed by them may be formed from the fact that two
specimens examined by Mr. Macgillivray contained, the
one over a thousand grains, and the other, five hundred
and ten.

The flight is strong and rapid, and a loud cracking
noise is produced by the wings. When on the ground
they walk with an easy movement, nodding the head to
and fro as they proceed. They feed in flocks varying in
number, and when alarmed the whole party rises simultane-
ously with the loud flapping noise already spoken of. In
leaving their homes for a foraging expedition, and in re-
turning at evening, the flight is straightforward, and just
high enough to clear any intervening obstacles.

In the winter and spring these birds assemble in pro-
digious flocks, and are then bolder and more easy of ap-
proach than during the summer. They roost in the holes
and caves of rocks, and occasionally in old buildings or
towers. Like other birds of the pigeon family, the Rock
Dove is fond of water, and takes great delight in bathing,
also in dusting itself. The note is a " Coo-roo-coo," the
last syllable being prolonged. The nests are commonly

116 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

found in companies or colonies, in some cavern or similar
retreat, where they live upon amicable terms one with
another. Dry sticks and twigs with bents of hay or stalks
are roughly laid together, and two eggs laid thereon ; they
are smooth and white. The male is very assiduous to his
mate during sitting-time, and remains close to the nest at
night. When first hatched the young birds are covered
with a soft yellow down. The Rock Dove seldom perches
upon trees, but rests at times on some elevated and isolated
spot whence a clear survey can be obtained of the immediate
neighbourhood. It is generally considered that these birds
.pair for life; at any rate, they are extremely attached to
their partners, and their grief and distress when separated
is so marked as to have become proverbial.

If taken when young they soon become tame and
familiar, and attain a considerable age.

(.'A

THE DOTTEEEL.

Ch aradrius mor int- Hits,

HE Dotterel, or as it is fre-
quently called, the Dotterel
Plover, although by no means
a rare bird, is not so
thoroughly distributed over
Great Britain as a great
many others. In Dorsetshire
and Devonshire its visits are
of extreme rarity, whilst in
Cornwall only one or two
instances are recorded of its
being met with. The Dot-
terel is a native of Europe,
being found in nearly all the
countries of this continent,
and it is also said to be met
with in Northern Asia,
Persia, and Tartary. With
us the Dotterel is a summer
visitor only, arriving about
April on our south-eastern
coasts, whence it passes on-
wards to the high grounds
of Lincolnshire, Derbyshire,

118 FAMILIAR WILL BIRDS.

Yorkshire, Lancashire, Westmoreland, Northumberland,
and various parts of Scotland. The Southdowns of
Sussex are also favourite resorts of the Dotterel, and upon
certain hills lying between Lewes and Brighton flocks of
these birds may be met with every year with almost unfail-
ing regularity. As feeding-places it loves the high grounds,
downs, and moors, and is most commonly met with on the
fallow land and newly-ploughed fields that fringe the higher
parts of the downs and elevated portions of the country.
The food consists of worms, grubs, slugs, and insects.

When the birds arrive at the more northerly
localities above mentioned they usually frequent the
fallows and heaths for about a week, and then seek the
moss-covered mountains, which they select as breeding
places ; and they seem to favour those particular localities
which are frequently obscured by the drenching rain and
mists. During incubation the Dotterel is generally to be
found in company with others of the same species, several
pairs appearing to live together in perfect harmony. The
nest is nothing more than a hole in the ground covered
with vegetation, and generally near some stone or rock.
Three eggs are commonly laid ; they are of a yellowish-
olive colour, with spots and markings of dark brownish-
black, and about an inch and three-quarters in length.

During the breeding season the Dotterel is much more
wary and timid than at any other time, its ordinary
characteristic being what may be called downright stu-
pidity. So indifferent are these birds to danger, that when
one of their number has been shot the remainder of the
flock will fly only a little distance, and soon return to their
original feeding- place, even though the sportsman, gun in
hand, is waiting to further reduce their numbers. An

THE DOTTEREL. 119

entire flock has been secured in this way with little or no
trouble.

The Dotterel runs and flies easily and with a quick
active movement, and is fond of dusting itself. The note
is soft and low, and has been compared to that of the
common linnet, while some naturalists have likened the
sounds to the words " dun*/' " droo." The bird belongs to
the Grallatorial family, and is much esteemed as an article
of delicate eating. Large numbers of them used also to
be killed in the Lake districts for the sake of their wing
feathers, which are highly esteemed among anglers as
artificial fly-dressing.

Before leaving this country Dotterels congregate in
large flocks, and remain thus together until their actual
departure, which usually occurs about September ; some,
however, have been known to remain until October.

The beak of the Dotterel is short, nearly black ; the top
of the head and nape of the neck dark brown, bounded on
the sides and behind by a band of white ; ear-coverts, neck
and back, ash colour ; scapulars, wing-coverts, and tertials,
ash-brown edged with buff; wing primaries ash-grey, the
•first with a broad white shaft; tail greyish-brown, the
middle feathers tipped *vith dull white, and the outside
feathers with broad ends of pure white, front and sides of
neck ash-grey ; across the breast is a band of white,
margined above and below with a dark line ; breast is a
rich fawn colour, blending into chestnut ; belly, black ;
vent and under tail-coverts white tinged with buff; under-
neath the wings are greyish-white ; the legs and toes are
greenish-yellow, and the claws black. The bird measures
about nine and a half inches, and usually weighs about
four or, five ounces. In the female the plumage is not so

120

FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

handsome, the markings being paler and not so distinct,
and the feathers on the breast are brown.

In relation to the confiding nature of this bird, it
may be remarked that its name morinellns literally
means "a little fool/' about as uncomplimentary a title,
perhaps, as any bestowed upon any member of the feathered
tribes. An old idea concerning the bird was that it imi-
tated the movements of the sportsman or fowler, and Mr.
Yarrell, in his description of the Dotterel, quotes a passage
from Drayton to this effect :—

" The Dotterel, which we think a very dainty dish,
Whose taking makes such sport, as no man more can wish,
For as you creep, or cower, or lie, or stoop, or go,
So marking you with care, the apish hird doth do ;
And acting everything, doth never mark the net,
Till he be in the snare which men for him have set."

T'T

SIZE

THE MAESH TIT.

Parus palmtris.
Parus atricapillus.

HIS pretty and sprightly little
bird is to be found in Great
Britain all through the year.
It can scarcely be called a
common variety, although it
is tolerably well distributed
over most parts of the
country, without being very
numerous in any particular
locality. It occurs with less
frequency in Ireland and the
north of Scotland than in
any other portions of the
kingdom. In different dis-
tricts the Marsh Tit has had
various titles bestowed on
it, amongst which may be
mentioned Smaller Oxeye,
Willow Biter, Joe Bent, and
Black Cap.

Although generally known
as the Marsh Tit, the bird is
by no means an inhabitant
of wet or marshy places;

122 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

true it is that it is frequently seen by the woody margins
of streams or ponds, but it may also be noticed busily at
work searching for food in almost any situation where
brushwood, copses, and low trees abound.

The habits of the Marsh Tit correspond with those of
all the Titmice; sprightly in movement, unceasing and
unwearying in searching for food, this little bird seems to
make the extermination of the various forms of insect life
the great object of its existence ; and it may almost be
taken for granted that wherever and whenever one is seen,
it is on the hunt, either to satisfy its own wants or the
requirements of its young family. During the time when
the young birds are in the nest this activity is very notice^
able and amusing, the visits paid by the parents to their
progeny being perpetual. Of course an enormous number
of insects are thus destroyed, and it is only just to add that
the appetites of the young Titmice are at all times fully
equal to the exertions of their parents.

In winter these birds collect in small flocks and roam
about from place to place as the supply of food may
diminish. In autumn also small companies of these little
birds are frequently observed; but rarely exceed six or
eight in number, and are probably composed of the members
of the same family. Sometimes, however, it associates
with small birds of other species. The flight is unsteady
and undulating, but is rather rapid, though seldom in-
dulged in for any but short distances.

The note may be said to resemble the syllables " chee-
chee " uttered quickly and several times in succession ; it
has a lively sound, but is shrill and not very melodious.

The nest of the Marsh Titmouse is generally placed in
holes of old and decayed willow trees, and in the stumps of

TS£ MARSH TIT. 123

pollards, and usually the entrance is too small to allow of
the nest being easily withdrawn. Colonel Montagu says
he " has seen this bird excavating the decayed parts of
such trees, and artfully carrying the chips in its bill to
some distance, always working downwards, and making the
bottom for the reception of the nest larger than the
entrance." Instances are recorded of the nest having
been placed in a rabbit-barrow or deserted rat's hole. It
is well built and strongly compacted of wool, moss, or
fine dried grass, and lined with the soft seed-down of the
willow.

The eggs vary in number from five to eight; they
measure seven and a half lines in length by about six lines
in breadth ; in colour they are similar to the eggs of the
other Titmice — white spotted with red.

The female shows great fondness for her home, and only
leaves it with considerable reluctance.

The food of the Marsh Tit consists of insects in their
various stages of development ; it is said to have a repre-
hensible weakness for bees, and also feeds on different kinds
of seeds, particularly those of the sunflower and the thistle ;
it occasionally visits gardens for the purpose of obtaining
the former. In fact, " the Marsh Tit may almost be said
to be omnivorous : nothing comes amiss to it. In winter
one may easily obtain an opportunity of watching its
habits in frosty weather by hanging up a bone, or a lump
of suet, or even a tallow candle, in the garden."

The Marsh Tit may be distinguished from the Cole Tit
by the absence of the white patch on the nape of the neck,
nor has it any white spots on the wing-coverts.

The beak is black ; the irides dark hazel ; the fore-
head, crown, and nape deep black ; the back, wing-coverts,

124

FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

and upper tail-coverts ash-brown tinged with green;
wing and tail feathers greyish -brown, with the edges
rather lighter in colour; the tail even at the end ; the chin
black ; the cheeks, throat, and breast dull greyish- white ;
flanks, belly, and under tail -coverts tinged with light
brown ; under-surface of wing and tail feathers grey ; legs,
toes, and claws bluish-black. The length of the bird is
about four inches and a half. There is no perceptible dif-
ference in the plumage of the sexes.

SIZE

THE LITTLE AUK.

Alca alle.
Mergulus melanoleucos.

HE Little Auk, or, as it is
more familiarly called, the
Common Rotche, is a winter
visitor only, and is seldom
seen farther south than the
islands of Orkney and Shet-
land. Occasionally, during
very severe and protracted
gales, these birds are com-
pelled to forsake the open
sea and take refuge on those
parts of the coast where
shelter and protection may
be found. At these times
they are shot with little
difficulty. Numerous in-
stances are recorded of the
Little Auk being found on
various parts of our coasts,
and sometimes in large
numbers ; but as soon as the
severity of the weather had
abated the birds invari-
ably disappeared ; they have

126 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

also been picked up, dead or exhausted, in localities far
distant from the sea, where they had been driven by the
violence of the winds.

The Little Auk is of truly oceanic habits ; in its food
and general methods of life it closely resembles the
Guillemots, passing its time (except at the breeding- sea-
sons) upon the sea, searching for its food, which is supposed
to consist almost entirely of the smaller Crustacea,

This bird breeds in the most northern of the Faroe
Islands, and, according to some naturalists, in Iceland. The
eggs are of a uniform pale blue colour, not dissimilar to
those of the starling ; the length is about one inch and
seven lines, and the breadth one inch and one line. Natur-
alists are divided in opinion as to the number of eggs laid
by the Little Auk, some saying that two are laid, and
others affirming that the number never exceeds one. From
the most recent observations the latter is most probably
correct.

Dr. Hayes thus describes his visit to a great breeding-
place of the Little Auk on the Greenland coast of Smith's
Sound. The slopes on both sides of the valley were about
a mile wide, and consisted of piles of loose rocks. Along
these slopes the Little Auks flew in a constant stream a
few feet above the stones, occasionally alighting in
thousands on the rocks, under which their eggs were
deposited, and in the winding narrow passages. The
Esquimaux in this valley eat great numbers of these birds,
which they catch in a very ingenious manner. Armed
with a net attached to a long pole they conceal themselves
among the rocks, and often catch half-a-dozen birds at a
time by suddenly raising the net at the moment the flock
is passing over their heads. Dr. Hayes saw more than

THE LITTLE AUK. 127

a hundred birds caught in this manner in a very short
time.

In his <e Memoir on the Birds of Greenland " Colonel
Sabine has some interesting observations about this
bird; he says, "This species was abundant in Baffin's
Bay and Davis Straits; and in latitude 76° was so nu-
merous in the channels of water separating fields of ice that
many hundreds were killed daily, and the ship's company
supplied with them. The whole of the birds in the breed-
ing season, the sexes being alike, had the under part of the
neck a uniform sooty-black, terminating abruptly and in
an even line against the white of the belly ; the young
birds, which we saw in all stages from the egg, as soon as
they were feathered, were marked exactly as the mature
birds ; but in the third week in September, when we were
on our passage down the American coast, every specimen,
whether old or young, was observed to be in change;
and in the course of a few days the entire feathers of the
throat and cheeks and of the under part of the neck had
become white/'

In the adult bird the beak is black ; shorter than the
head, and thick and broad at the base; the nostrils are
partly covered with small feathers ; the irides hazel, with a
small white spot over the eye ; the head, hind part of neck,
back, wings, and tail black, but the ends of the secondaries
and the sides of the tertials are margined with white ; the
colour of the chin, throat, and neck in front depend on the
season, being black in summer and white in winter, but
mottled with black and white in the spring and autumn ;
the under surface of the body white ; legs and toes yellowish-
brown, the membranes between the toes darker brown.
The wings and tail are short, and the legs have a very

128

FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

backward position.

being scarcely half the weight of the Puffin.

The Little Auk is a very small bird,

There is no
difference in the appearance of the sexes.

The young birds of the year, according to Tetnminck,
may be distinguished by having the cheeks shaded with
grey. When in down they are uniform sooty brownish
black. The entire length is about eight inches and a half.
The Little Auk is found as far north as Nova Zembla,
Spitsbergen, and Greenland.

HED-LEGGED- PA HT FRIDGE

('/a SATU^AL SIZE)

THE KED-LEGGED PABTBIDGE.

Perdix rufa. Perdix rubra.

Tetrao rufus.

HIS bird, which is also called
the Guernsey Partridge, and
French Partridge, although
possessing many charac-
teristics in common with the
English bird, is, however,
quite distinct from it ; and
in nearly all localities where
the former has gained a
footing the latter has gradu-
ally become scarcer. The
Red-legged Partridge cannot
strictly be described as a
British bird, though it is
comparatively common in
many parts of Great Britain ;
and from the large numbers
exposed for sale in our
markets and game-shops,
it is now thoroughly familiar
to most people.

The Red-legged Partridge
is said to have been first
brought into this country

130 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

in the reign of the second Charles, and since then it has
been successfully introduced by several noblemen on their
estates.

This bird is now found more or less in all parts of
England, but it is most plentiful in the counties of
Suffolk, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Dor-
setshire, Norfolk, Essex, Yorkshire, and Oxfordshire. It
is a native of several of the countries in the south of
Europe, and it is also found in the Channel Islands. As
an article of food it is not so highly esteemed as its
English relative, the flesh being whiter and less succulent ;
while as an object of sport it certainly does not meet with
much appreciation, as it is wild in its habits, and cannot
easily be induced to fly, but runs a very considerable
distance. When wounded it frequently secretes itself in
some hole, rabbit-burrow, or any similar place of conceal-
ment.

The favourite haunts of these birds are heaths, com-
mons, waste lands, and the bushes and copses of hilly
grounds ; they are also to be found, like the common part-
ridge, in stubbles, turnip-fields, and cultivated lands ; they
run with great quickness, and sometimes indulge in very
long flights ; indeed, they are occasionally found on the sea-
shore, so completely exhausted and fatigued as to be quite
unable to escape capture.

Cornfields and patches of grass or clover are the places
commonly selected by the Red-legged Partridge for nest-
ing. The nest is composed of dried grass and leaves, and
sometimes a few feathers roughly scratched together.
According to some writers, the nest has been found in the
thatch of a hayrick. The eggs are of a reddish, yellowish-
white, spotted and speckled with brownish-red, and vary

THE EUD-LEGGED PARTRIDGE. 131

in number from ten to sixteen or eighteen • they are about
one inch and a half long, and an inch and a quarter broad.
The entire duties of incubation and rearing the young
devolve upon the female. Like all the other members of
this class, the young ones quit the nest immediately they
are hatched, their capabilities for running and feeding
being developed at a very early stage of their existence.

They feed on grain, clover, and other seeds, flies,
beetles, caterpillars, ants and their eggs, grubs, and small
snails, and are much addicted to scratching in the dry earth
for food.

When flushed these birds do not always leave the
ground simultaneously, as is the case with the common
partridge ; but one or more will perch on some gate, post, or
stone that may be close at hand, and are not unfrequently
shot whilst perching in this way. Or they will scatter in
all directions, each one running for the nearest hedge with
incredible speed. The flight is strong, rapid, and often
sustained for some considerable distance.

Even at a distance these birds may very easily be dis-
tinguished from the Common Partridge, as they are larger,
darker, and the whirring sound made by the wings in flight
is altogether different.

The note is said to closely resemble the word " cokileke/'
and is most frequently heard in the spring.

The plumage of the Red-legged Partridge is handsome.
The beak is red, a black streak passes from the nostrils to
the eye, and thence downwards and forwards, making
a gorget of black, from which streaks and spots of black
descend towards the breast ; irides are reddish-orange ;
eyelids vermilion. Back of neck, back, rump, wing and
tail coverts are brownish, the plumage being smooth and

132

FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

blended ; tail-feathers chestnut ; breast pearl-grey ; belly,
vent, and under tail-coverts fawn colour; sides, flanks,
and thighs are barred with white, black, pearl-grey, and
fawn colour ; legs and toes red ; claws brown. The male
has on the leg a rounded knob in the place of a spur.

The female resembles the male, except that her plumage
is not so bright, and the markings are not so well defined.
She is also devoid of the knob-like spur on the leg.

S/V N D E. F\ LI N G

SIZE)

THE SANDEELING.

Charadrius callidris.
Callidris arenaria.

LTHOUGH by no means a
common bird, the Sanderling
is tolerably well distributed
over the coasts of Great
Britain and Ireland j and in
spring, summer, and autumn
may be found upon most of
our low sandy shores and
tidal rivers.

It is an active sprightly
bird, searching for its food
either in small parties, or
associated with Dunlins,
Dotterels, or other birds of
similar habits. But the
seashore and banks of tidal
rivers are not the only re-
sorts of the Sanderling, as in
the summer months it may
frequently be seen many
miles from the coast, on the
sides of muddy ditches, or
more commonly running
along the edges of ponds,

134 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

lakes, and any large inland sheets of water, as with other
members of the family.

In speaking of the feeding habits of this bird, a well-
known ornithologist observes, " The Sanderling obtains its
food principally by probing the moist sands of the seashore
with its bill held in an oblique direction. At every step it
inserts this instrument with surprising quickness, to a greater
or less depth, according to the softness of the sand ; some-
times introducing it a quarter of an inch, sometimes to the
base. The holes thus made may be seen on the borders of
beaches, when the tide is fast receding, in rows of twenty,
thirty, or more ; in certain spots less numerous : for it
appears that when a place is unproductive of the food for
which they are searching, they very soon take to their
wings and remove to another, now and then in so hurried a
manner that one might suppose they had been suddenly
frightened. The contents of the stomach of those shot
while thus occupied were slender sea-worms, minute shell-
fish, and gravel. At other times, when they were seen fol-
lowing the receding waves, and wading up to the belly in
the returning waters, the stomachs contained small shrimps
and other Crustacea."" Other writers have observed it
feeding on the buds of the Saxifrage.

The Sanderling runs very rapidly, and flies with ease
and swiftness ; when alarmed, the birds, when in flocks,
generally proceed to some fresh feeding spot at no very
great distance ; but when disturbed in very small parties
they not uncommonly take to flight and fly for some con-
siderable distance before settling. As already stated,
Sanderlings frequently associate with small companies of
Dunlins, &c. ; but they may be easily distinguished from
their companions by the prominent lightness of their

THE SANDERLING. 135

plumage, and the continuous whistling cry uttered during
flight.

The Sanderling breeds in the far north, and in much
higher latitudes than any part of Great Britain. The coasts
of Hudson's Bay, Greenland, and Labrador have been
mentioned by naturalists as amongst the favourite breeding-
places of this bird. Captain Fielden found a Sanderling's
nest in the month of June, 1876, on the shores of the
Frozen Ocean; this nest contained two eggs, and as the
male bird was killed at the nest, it would appear that
both sexes assist in the process of incubation.

The nest is placed on the ground, and is somewhat
roughly built of dried grass ; the eggs number about four,
and are of a dusky colour, spotted with black, most of the
markings being on the larger end.

Only one brood appears to be reared during the
year, but this is not absolutely certain.

In summer the male Sanderling has the beak black ;
irides brown ; feathers on the top of the head and back of
the neck black in the centre, with a rufous edging; back
and rump black ; wings blackish, with markings of red-
dish-grey and greyish- white ; chin, throat, sides of the
neck, and upper part of the breast covered with small spots
of rufous and black on a white ground ; the whole under-
surface of the body is pure white; tail greyish-black in
centre, and the outer feathers greyish- white ; legs, toes,
and claws black.

In winter the bird is much lighter in appearance ; the
plumage of all the upper parts is a very light ash-grey,
with a dark streak in the centre of each feather ; the tail is
ash-colour, edged with white ; chin, throat, and remaining
portions the same as in summer.

136

FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

In spring the plumage is even prettier, the feathers on
the back being all centred with black, and the front of the
neck speckled.

There is not much difference in the plumage of the male
and female, but the latter are somewhat larger, and in the
summer lighter in colour.

The Sanderling is found in nearly all the Arctic regions,
and has been met with on the Black Sea, France, Italy, Hol-
land, South Africa, Japan, and Sunda.

TITMOUSE

(•/'5 NAjUl^L SIZE. )

THE LONG-TAILED TIT.

Par us caudatus.

HE Long-tailed Tit, or, as it
is very frequently called,
the " Bottle Tit/' as will be
seen by a glance at the illus-
tration, is diminutive in its
size and peculiar in its ap-
pearance. Dr. Leach and
many other naturalists have
hesitated to regard this little
bird as belonging to the
true Tits; and Mr. Yarrell
thus points out the dif-
ferences that suggested the
separation : — " The five
species of Tits (viz., the Blue,
the Crested, the Cole, the
Marsh, and the Great Tit)
have short tails, almost even
or square at the end, the
feathers being nearly of uni-
form length ; legs, toes, and
claws rather short and
strong ; their nests are
loosely put together, gener-

138 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

ally placed in holes in walls or trees, and the birds are
almost omnivorous in reference to food. The Long-
tailed Tit, on the contrary, as its name implies, has the tail
long and graduated; three pairs of the tail-feathers not
only differing from each other in length, but all of them
also shorter than the other three pairs ; the legs and toes
rather long and slender ; the nest of the most perfect kind,
oval in shape, domed at the top, with a small hole at the
upper part of one side, by which access is gained to the
chamber within ; the nest is generally fixed in the midst of
a thick bush ; and the bird is more decidedly insectivorous."

This bird is found more or less frequently in all the
wooded districts of this country. In the southern and
western counties of England, from Sussex to Cornwall, it
is common, frequenting plantations, shrubberies, and
hedgerows where the trees are tall, and also gardens
and orchards. The food consists almost exclusively of
various insects and their larvae, for which the birds search
with considerable persistence and activity.

The nest, to which allusion has already been made, is a
perfect specimen of ingenuity and care, and is in all
probability the most admirable example of bird archi-
tecture to be found in this country. The writer has
examined some which seemed really marvellous in their
strength, comfort, and appearance ; the outside is fre-
quently adorned with scraps of bright-coloured lichen and
moss, and the interior thoroughly lined with down and soft
feathers. The number of eggs varies ; ten or twelve are
commonly laid, but occasionally even more : they are
small, white, and marked with a few faint specks of red ;
often, however, they are plain white. During the first
autumn and winter the entire family keep together. The

THE LONG-TAILED TIT. 139

usual note is a sharp chirp or twitter, varied by lower and
hoarser notes. At times these twitterings are very loud
and shrill, and at other times so feeble as to be almost
inaudible. When searching for food these little birds
assume the most peculiar attitudes, often being engaged
with the head downwards, their long tails giving them
a somewhat grotesque appearance.

Their movements are full of sprightliness and gaiety,
and well repay any watching or observation. The flight is
not very strong, and is undulatory in its character.

A well-known naturalist states that he has observed
these little birds, when insects on the branches were few
and far between, making very persistent efforts to feed
upon the gnats that were swarming in the sunshine ; but
he adds that they seemed to be very indifferent fly-catchers.

The Long-tailed Tit is said to be a permanent resident
in Sweden, Russia, Holland, and many other European
countries. It remains in Great Britain and Ireland
throughout the entire year.

The beak is black ; the irides hazel ; the top of the
head, nape, and cheeks greyish- white ; over the eye, and
descending thence over the ear-coverts, is a narrow
black stripe (this mark is broader in the females, and said
sometimes to be entirely wanting in old males) ; on the
upper part of the back a triangular patch of black, one
point of which is directed downwards ; the shoulders,
scapularies, and part of the rump tinged with rose-red;
wing-coverts black; primaries greyish-black; tertials
broadly edged with white; upper tail-coverts black; the
three pairs of central tail-feathers very long and black ; the
next three pairs each half an inch shorter than the feather
on the same side which precedes it, and all six are black on

140

FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

the inner web, and white on the outer; the under surface
of the body greyish-white ; the sides, flanks, and under
tail-coverts tinged with rose colour; legs, toes, and claws
almost black. The length of the bird is about five inches
and a half.

The females have more black about the head, the
band on the nape and head being broader, but in other
respects the plumage resembles that of the males.

In the young birds the tail-feathers are of variable
lengths during growth, and the markings are less distinct
and pure than in adults.

SIZE]

THE EAZOK-BILL.

Aka tor da.

F the reader will for a moment
glance at the beak of the
bird in the illustration he
will see that the name
" Razor-bill )} is a very ap-
propriate one.

The creature to which
this peculiarly -shaped ap-
pendage belongs is a well-
known inhabitant of most,
if not all, of the seas sur-
rounding the islands of
Great Britain. Like the
common Guillemot, it spends
most of its time upon the "sad
sea waves," and, with the
exception of those periods oc-
cupied in breeding and rear-
ing its young, it seldom
troubles terra firma with its
presence. It feeds upon the
lesser Crustacea, and any of
the smaller kinds of fishes,
pursuing its prey with ease

142 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

and certainty. It swims and dives equally well, and is
quite as capable of securing- its food below the water as
on the surface. Like most birds of this class, the water is its
proper element, and its easy and rapid movements therein
offer a great contrast to the clumsy efforts at locomotion
when upon dry land. When disturbed and compelled to
take to its wings, it rises in the air with difficulty, splash-
ing along on the water for some little distance. The
flight is however rapid, strong, and capable of being sus-
tained for a considerable distance, far more powerful than
would be imagined by the comparative smallness of the
wings.

This bird is probably an exclusively North- Atlantic
species. It breeds on the sea rocks (in greater or less num-
bers) from Cornwall to Shetland, round the coast of
Ireland, the Channel Islands and St. Kilda. Nova Scotia,
Newfoundland, and Labrador are also stated as localities
frequented by the Razor-bill for breeding purposes, as are
also the rocky shores of Norway.

The Razor-bill lays but one egg, the measurement of
which is about two inches and three-quarters by one inch
and ten lines ; the grounding is white, and the markings
are reddish-brown and blackish-brown, but the eggs are
subject to much variation.

The Razor-bill must be considered as a rather late
breeder, as its eggs are seldom found before the middle of
May. The birds begin to assemble with Puffins, Guillemots,
and Gulls at their breeding-places about the end of March
or the beginning of the following month, and the sea, rocks,
and precipices are then crowded with vast numbers. Ac-
cording to some authorities, Razor-bills pair for life, and
regularly return year after year to the same identical crevice

THE RAZOR-BILL. 143

or cranny to deposit their egg and rear their young. In
choosing a suitable place in which to deposit its egg the
bird almost invariably selects some hole or crevice or cleft
in the rock, carefully avoiding ledges and similarly exposed
situations. Instances have been recorded in which the egg
has been deposited in a Puffin burrow, and even in the
deserted nest of a Cormorant. Seebohm states that " both
birds share in the task of hatching their solitary egg-, and
incubation lasts about a month.""

It is said that the young Razor-bills are some-
times conveyed to the water in the bill of the old bird,
and that on the sea they are taught to dive by their
parents.

The beak is black ; it is large and much compressed, the
end is curved, and the extremity of the lower mandible
forms a salient angle with the upper one ; there are three
transverse grooves and one white line on the upper man-
dible, and two transverse grooves and a white line on the
lower mandible. The basal half of the beak is covered with
feathers.

The sexes do not differ in plumage. From the top of:
the beak to each eye there is a well-defined streak of pure
white; irides dark brown; the whole of the head, chin,
throat, hind part of neck, back, wings and tail black ; the
tips of the secondary quill-feathers are white, forming a
band across the wing ; the breast, and all the under surface
of the body pure white ; legs, toes, and their membranes
brownish-black. The tail is short and pointed. The
entire length of the bird is about seventeen inches, being
rather larger than the Puffin.

The young birds, when about three weeks old, are
covered with down, the whole of the upper part being of

144

FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

a sooty colour, and from the chin to the vent underneath
white, the only feathers visible being a few in the wing1 ;
but the other feathers grow very rapidly through the
down, and the young birds are soon like the adult in
plumage, except that the feathers on the neck, throat, and
sides of the head are white until after the spring moult,
and are only black during the breeding season.

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

BY E. KEARTON.

ation purposes,
78

HERE are recorded many curi-
ously interesting exceptions to
the general rules adopted by
different birds in the selec-
tion of a position for their
nests, and we cannot better
utilise our little remaining
space than by mentioning
briefly a few well-authenticated
cases of entire departures from
the usual habits of some well-
known specimens. It will be
remembered that in our first
introduction to te Eggs and
Egg-collecting " it was men-
tioned that a Dipper's nest
had been found on the branch
of a tree, and a Thrush's
on the bare ground in the
middle of a field, far away
from bush or tree.

House Sparrows furnish
many examples of curious
situations adopted for incub-
Not long ago a pair of these birds

146 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

built their nest, and successfully hatched a brood, in
the cartridge-box of a cannon which was fired twice
daily in the Gun Park at Woolwich. It is a notable
fact that in some parts of the country Sparrows build
extensively in trees, whilst in others such a circum-
stance is unknown. Some ornithologists are of opinion
that it is an hereditary habit, others supposing that it is
resorted to for the sake of coolness in hot weather ; but
a reason the writer inclines to is that in parts of the
country where houses and out-buildings are made of stone
the birds find ample accommodation in joints, crevices,
and crannies where the lime has been dislodged, and are
therefore not driven to the necessity of adopting trees,
like birds found in districts where the houses are made
of bricks, consequently closer, and affording less oppor-
tunity for nest-building. This bird, besides its noted
pugnacity, is an arrant rogue, and invariably takes ad-
vantage of the House Martin's labour. We have known
a house with twenty nests all close together under its
eaves, about half of which were occupied by Sparrows,
which had, in some cases where the nests were new, been
actually watched ejecting the eggs of the original owner.

The Robin is noted for its caprice in the selection of a
nesting site, and has been found hatching its eggs in
nearly every conceivable situation, from the ordinary
mossy bank to the pocket of a gardener's old coat which
had been hanging undisturbed for several weeks in a tool-
house. Old kettles, water-cans, inverted plant pots, &c.,
in buildings close to machinery in daily motion, and other
equally curious places, are by no means rare occurrences.
A case is recorded of a Kobin's nest having been built in
the hole made by a cannon-ball through the mizenmast

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 147

against which Lord Nelson was standing when he received
his death- wound on board the Victory.

Swallows have also been known to adopt quite foreign
situations for breeding purposes, such as holes in trees,
and even openly on the branches.

Cases are known of the Starling building its nest
down holes in the earth, and also quite exposed in trees,
similar to the nest of the Sparrow. It has also been
found going shares with a Magpie.

The Pied Wagtail occasionally chooses strange quarters,
one case being on record of a pair building beneath a
railway switch, over which trains passed nearly every hour
in the day within a few inches of the nest.

The roof of a house in Hull was once selected by
two pairs of Rooks for nidification, and proved a successful
choice, for they managed to build nests and rear their
young.

The Common Wild Duck is also liable to depart widely
from her usual habit in the selection of a site for her nest,
sometimes adopting a Crow's nest, and even the tower of
a church, which latter has occasioned much speculation
amongst naturalists as to how the parent bird managed
to convey her progeny safely to water.

The Flycatcher is amongst the foremost of our eccentric
birds in the choice of breeding quarters, its nest having
been found in street lamps in different parts of the country,
and in one instance on the head of a hoe hanging against
the wall of a tool-house. The nest was removed whilst
the hoe was being used, and, when replaced, the birds,
instead of deserting it, resumed operations, and eventually
reared their brood.

Another very interesting curiosity of recent date

148 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

occurred in the neighbourhood of Skegness, where a pair of
Marsh Titmice selected a farmer's letter-box for incubation
purposes, and although it was opened twice daily, and the
materials with which the birds began to build were several
times cleared away, they doggedly persisted in their efforts,
and eventually succeeded in making a nest and depositing
the usual number of eggs.

These odd positions and situations are evidently not
chosen for purposes of concealment from man, at any rate ;
indeed, it is a question whether some of them are not
adopted to secure the advantage his presence affords against
the incursions of predatory birds and animals. And, on
the other hand, if these seeming departures from instinct
be admitted as due to reason, it seems strange that whilst
some birds are capable of this, others exhibit what seems
to human understanding profound stupidity. We have
known birds vainly try to build in positions where it was
impossible for a nest to rest, each piece of material falling
to the ground, until sufficient had been collected for half a
dozen nests ; yet the bird kept on collecting sticks, moss,
and grasses, until probably she was obliged to drop her
eggs in the fields. This is not a solitary instance, nor
only once attempted, for close observation proved that the
same inexplicable vain effort was continued from year to
year, but whether by the same birds or not it is of course
impossible to say.

THE RING OUZEL.

THE mountainous districts of the north of England and
Scotland are the favourite nesting-places of this bird,
which seems most at home in lonely secluded districts.

EGGS.

i. Ring Ouzel. 2. Kentish Plover. 3. Buzzard. 4. Cirl Bunting.
5. Hawfinch. 6. Stock Dove. 7. Dartford Warbler. 8. Pochard. 9. Black Redstart.

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 149

The situation of the nest, its materials and structure, also
the eggs of the Ring Ouzel and Blackbird, differ but
little, and we have often had a difficulty in determining the
rightful owner of a nest, until the parent bird has been
watched on or off. The nest is composed of coarse grass,
moss, and mud, with an inner lining of finer grass, and is
generally situated in clefts of rock, steep banks, or old
walls, sometimes quite on the ground. The eggs number
four or five, of a dull bluish-green, freckled or blotched
with reddish-brown, markings generally larger and fewer
than those of the Blackbird.

THE KENTISH PLOVER.

No trouble is taken by this bird in nest-building, simply
depositing its eggs in some depression or hollow of the
sand or shingle on the southern coasts of England, princi-
pally Kent and Sussex. The eggs number four, and are of
a cream, stone, or pale testaceous-brown colour, streaked
and spotted with black.

THE BUZZARD.

THE Buzzard sometimes builds a nest of sticks, hay, leaves,
and wool; at others adopts a crow's nest in some mo-
derately high tree. Her eggs number two, three, and even
four, and are of a dingy white; sometimes this colour
alone, and at others spotted and blotched at the larger end
with red-brown.

THE GIRL BUNTING.

SOME low bush or furze is generally adopted by this bird
for its nesting-place. The nest is composed of dry grass,
roots, and moss, with generally an inner lining of hair, but

150 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

sometimes without either moss or hair. The eggs number
four or five, of a dull bluish or cinereous white with ir-
regular streaks of dark brown, often terminating in a spot
at one end.

THE HAWFINCH.

THE Hawfinch builds in various kinds of trees and at
various heights ; sometimes its nest is found quite exposed
in a whitethorn bush, or on the horizontal branch of an
oak. It is built of twigs, &c., intermixed with lichens,
and interlined with fine fibrous roots and hair. Her eggs
number from four to six, of a pale olive-green colour,
irregularly streaked with dusky grey and spotted with
black. The ground-colour is variable, being sometimes of
a buffish hue.

THE STOCK DOVE.

RABBIT-HOLES, cavities in the trunks of trees, and often on
the ground beneath thick furze-bushes, which are next
door to waterproof on account of their thickness, are the
situations chosen by the Stock Dove. Very little trouble
is taken with the nest, which merely consists of a few
twigs and roots. The eggs only number two, of a pure
shining white.

THE DART FORD WARBLER.

THICK furze-bushes are the places chosen by this bird for
its nesting-place on the commons of Kent and Surrey.
The materials used are dead branches of furze, moss, and
dry grass mixed with wool, and lined inside with finer dead
grasses, the whole structure being loosely put together.
The eggs number four or five, and are of a greenish, some-

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 151

times buffish, white ground speckled all over with dark or
olive brown and cinereous, which become more dense at
the larger end and form a zone. The eggs are at times
more numerously spotted than at others; then the markings
are not so large.

THE POCHARD.

THIS bird breeds on the borders of the meres in Holland, in
America, Russia, and Germany; and, though only a
visitor on our shores, has been said to breed at Scarborough
and in Norfolk. The position of its nest is similar to that
of the Wild Duck, also the materials of which it is
composed (dead grass and sedge, also down when the bird
has begun to sit). Its eggs number from seven even to
thirteen, but ten is the usual number laid, of a greenish-
buff colour.

THE BLACK REDSTART.

THIS well-known visitor breeds in many parts of Europe
and North Africa, building a nest very similar to that
of the Robin, composed chiefly of twigs, straw, dried
grass, &c., and situated in holes of walls and other positions
similar to the above-mentioned bird. Five is the usual
number of eggs ; however, four only, or as many as six, are
found, generally pure white in colour, occasionally tinged
faintly with brown. Cases are recorded where they have
been found spotted at the larger end with minute brown
spots.

THE SPOTTED FLY-CATCHER.

MANY curious positions for rearing a family have been
chosen by the Spotted Fly-catcher, but its nest is generally

152 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

found in trees which are trained against walls, barns,
tool and summer houses. It is composed of a diversity
of material, and no fixed rule seems to be adhered to —
bents, straws, moss, new and old hairs, feathers, &c. The
eggs number four, five, or even six, of a grey-white
spotted with faint red ; sometimes, but rarely, pale blue,
unspotted. The ground-colour varies from grey or bluish-
white to pea-green, the markings also being in various
shades, clouded, spotted, and blotched with faint red or
reddish-brown.

THE TREE SPARROW.

HOLES in pollard and other trees are chosen as desirable
situations by this bird for perpetuating its race, and some-
times in the thatches of old barns along with the Common
House Sparrow. Its nest is very similar to that of its
more widely-distributed and better-known kinsman, viz.,
of hay, dry grass, and straw, with a liberal lining of nice
warm feathers. The eggs generally number four or five,
of a grey colour, thickly spotted with umber-brown or
darker grey, sometimes white with grey spots or blotches,
and maybe described, like the Common Sparrow's, as variable.

THE BRAMBLING.

SCANDINAVIA and other countries situated in high latitudes
are the breeding-haunts of this little bird, which builds a
nest very similar to the Chaffinch. It is placed fourteen or
twenty feet from the ground, in the fork of a branch
shooting out from the trunk of a birch or spruce fir-tree,
and composed of moss, lichens, bark, mixed with thistle-
down, and lined with fine grass and feathers. Its eggs

EGGS.

i. Spotted Fly-catcher. 2. Tree Sparrow. 3. Brambling. 4. Winchat. 5. Scoter.
6. Grey Wagtail. 7. Smew. 8. Black-headed Bunting. 9. Grear Spotted Woodpecker.

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 1_53

number from five to seven, similar to those of the Chaf-
finch, the ground-colour being generally green, and the
spots not so dark nor large.

THE WHINCHAT.

THE nest of this bird is composed of grass and moss of
different kinds, the stronger on the outside, and the finer
forming a lining for the interior, and is situated on the
ground in positions where it is by no means an easy
task for the most veteran collector to find it. It lays five
or six eggs of a delicate bluish-green, rarely speckled or
marked with red-brown.

THE SCOTER.

ICELAND and Scandinavia are the nesting-places of the
Common Scoter, which gathers together any easily pro-
curable materials, such as twigs, grasses, dry stalks, and
leaves, placing them under cover, or in hiding, afforded by
the low-growing shrubs or plants, and lining the whole
with down. The eggs number from six to ten, of a pale
greyish buff-colour, sometimes slightly tinged with green.

THE GREY WAGTAIL.

SOME naturalists describe the position of this bird's nest as
on the ground ; but, personally, we have generally found
them in the niches of rocks, or under overhanging ledges or
banks. The nest is composed of moss, bents, grass,
horsehair, often lined with a coat of cow's-hair, which they
rub off against walls and trees in the spring-time. This
bird's eggs number five of six, and are of a grey colour,
mottled and spotted with ochre-grey or brown, variable.
80

154 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

THE SMEW.

THE nesting-place of this bird is in high latitudes, such as
north-east Russia, and the situation chosen is in the
hollow trunk of a tree. The material of which the nest is
composed is taken from the bird's body, and consists
entirely of down. Her eggs number from seven to eight,
very similar to those of the Wigeon, creamy-white in
colour, fine-grained, and rather glossy.

THE BLACK-HEADED BUNTING.

MOIST swampy localities are chosen by this bird as the
situation for its nest, which is composed of dried grass,
moss, and an inner lining of finer grass, reed-down, or
horsehair, and generally, though not always, placed on the
ground, among rushes or coarse long grass. It lays four
or five eggs of a pale reddish -brown or grey with a rosy
tinge, streaked, veined, and spotted with brown of a rich
dark purple shade.

THE GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER.

THE position of the Woodpecker's nest is in the hollow
trunk of some tree, and if the hole leading to it is too
large, the parent bird invariably plasters it up to the
proper size for ingress and egress with clay. The eggs are
laid on pieces of wood chipped off inside, and number four
or five, white, occasionally stained or dyed by the material
on which they are laid.

THE ROCK PIPIT.

LEDGES or crevices of rocks near the sea-shore are the
favourite building-places of this bird. It collects such

EGGS.

i. Rock Pipit. 2. Cormorant. 3, Creeper. 4. Turtle Dove.
5. Shore Lark. 6. Gannet. 7. Quail. 8. Oyster-catcher. g. Cole Tit.

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTINQ. 155

materials as dry grasses of various kinds, and seaweed,
with an inner lining of fine grass, and occasionally horse-
hair. Its eggs number four or five, of a grey ground-
colour, occasionally slightly tinged with green. The spots
are variable in shade, being sometimes greyish-brown, at
others reddish ; the underlying ones are always light grey.
The spots are small, and more crowded at the larger end.

THE CORMORANT.

ROCKY coasts are chosen by the Cormorant, which builds an
ample nest of sticks, seaweed, and coarse grass on some
ledge or shelf of sea cliff. Her eggs number from four to
six, of a chalky-white colour, varied with pale blue or
greenish tinge, which is really the colour of the proper
shell, the white being only a rough coat.

THE CREEPER.

THIS little bird generally builds its nest in a hollow tree, its
materials being fine twigs, dead grass, moss, and feathers,
and lays from six to nine eggs of a white ground-colour,
speckled with red-brown at the larger end, much resembling
those of the "Willow Wren and Blue Titmouse.

THE TURTLE DOVE.

THICK woods, and principally in Kent, are the favourite
nesting-places of this Dove, which builds a loose nest of
sticks and twigs carelessly thrown together high up in a
fir, holly, or other bush. The eggs number two, quite
white, and much smaller for the size of the bird than the
Ring and Stock Doves.

156 • FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

THE SHORE LARK.

COLD northern climates, like Lapland and Siberia, are
chosen by the Shore Lark for breeding- pi aces. Its nest is
generally situated in some slight hollow on the ground, and
is loosely made of grass, with an inner lining of willow-
down or hair from the reindeer. Her eggs number three,
four, or five, the second figure being the general rule, and
are, like those of the Common Lark, liable to variation in
colouring. The ground-colour is of a brownish or pale green,
tinted white, marked with neutral brown spots of ten so profuse
that they cover the greyer spots underlying entirely out.

THE GANNET.

THIS bird seems to prefer just the opposite course to that
which most birds adopt in the breeding season, viz., to con-
gregate in thousands, and breed on precipitous rocks,
engaging all ledges and shelves capable of holding a nest,
which is composed of seaweed and other rubbish picked up
by the bird from the ocean, also grass. One egg only is
laid, white or bluish-white when first deposited on the nest,
but soon becoming dirty and soiled by being trodden upon.
Like the Cormorant, this bird's egg is covered with an
incrustation of white, hiding the colour of the true shell,
which is of a greenish or bluish- white.

THE QUAIL.

GREEN cornfields are generally the .situations chosen by the
Quail for a nesting-place, where it selects a small depres-
sion in the ground, and tramples a few blades of grass or
corn down into it, occasionally a few dead leaves. Her eggs
number from seven to even as many as twenty, of a pale

EGGS.

i. Guillemot. 2. Rock Dove. 3. Dotterel. 4. Marsh Tit. 5. Little Auk.
6. Red-legged Partridge. 7. Sanderling. 8. Long.tailed Titmouse. 9. Razor Bill.

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 157

yellowish-brown, mottled and clouded or blotched with
red or olive brown; variable both in ground-colour and
markings.

THE OYSTER-CATCHER.

THIS bird lays its eggs, which number three or four — three
being1 the general rule — on the bare ground, mostly in
slight declivities, taking care that they are above high-
water-mark. Sometimes a few bents, pebbles, or broken
shells are used as a sort of lining. The eggs are stone or
cream colour, of a variety of shades, blotched with dark
brown, occasionally streaked and spotted with a lighter
hue. The markings are variable in character and position,
some being pretty equally distributed over the eggs, whilst
others are inclined to form a belt round the larger end.

THE COLE TIT.

TRUNKS of trees, holes in walls and banks made by rats,
moles, or mice, are selected for incubation purposes by this
little bird. The nest is built of moss, wool, and hair, and
contains from five to eight, or even nine eggs, white,
spotted and freckled with light red or red-brown.

THE GUILLEMOT.

THE Guillemot makes no nest at all, but deposits its single
egg on the ledges of sea- cliffs in a great many places
round our coasts. A verbal description of it is almost
useless^ as the colouring presents such a wonderful variety
of tints. The ground-colours are white, cream, vellowish-
green, blue, reddish-brown, pea-green, purplish-brown, &c.
Some are profusely spotted and blotched or streaked with
black, black-brown, or grey in great variety ; whilst others

158 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

are scarcely marked at all. Our illustration may be taken
as a very good specimen of one kind of colouring and
marking, though a very pretty one might be given of an
entirely different colour and character.

THE KOCK DOVE.

LEDGES and fissures or crevices in sea-cliffs are the nesting-
places of this bird, which uses sticks, twigs, heath, and
dead grass for building purposes. Her eggs are two in
number, quite white.

THE DOTTEREL.

MOUNTAIN-TOPS in the North of England are the favourite
nesting-places of the Dotterel, which is now becoming
comparatively rare in districts where it was once common.
It uses no materials for nest-making, simply laying three
eggs in a slight cavity amongst woolly-fringe moss or other
mountain vegetation which affords some little concealment.
The eggs are of a dark cream or olivaceous-brown colour
thickly blotched or spotted with dark brown or brownish-
black.

THE MARSH TIT.

HOLES in trees (generally willows or pollards), banks, &c.,
are the places adopted by the Marsh Tit for its nest, which
is composed of moss, wool, and down from rabbits, or the
ripe catkins of willows. Her eggs number from six to
eight, or even as many as ten have been found. They are
white, spotted with red-brown, more thickly at the larger end.

THE LITTLE AUK.

THE rocky shores of Spitzbergen, Greenland, and Iceland
form suitable breeding resorts for this bird, which makes no

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 159

nest, but deposits its single egg on the bare ground in
some crevice or under loose rocks. The egg is of a pale
greenish-blue, or white tinged with greenish-blue, a little
spotted and veined, especially at the larger end, with rust-
colour or yellowish-brown. Sometimes the egg has no
spots or streaks, at others only indistinctly streaked or
veined at the large end.

THE RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE.

THIS bird makes a slight nest of bents and leaves upon the
ground in grass, corn, or clover fields ; however, instances
have been cited where it has been found at considerable
elevation. But this departure from the general rule we have
noticed with other birds on rare occasions. Her eggs
number from twelve to eighteen, of a yellow-grey or cream
colour, marked with red or cinnamon-brown.

THE SANDERLING.

THE Sanderling is only a visitor to our shores, and breeds
in Arctic countries, such as Labrador, Greenland, &c. Its
nest is composed of grass and built upon the ground. The
eggs are four in number, of a buffish-olive ground-colour,
spotted and mottled plentifully with dark brown or black,
also with indistinct sub-markings of a greyish tinge.

THE LONG-TAILED TIT.

TREES and bushes are the positions taken up by this skilled
little architect and builder, whose beautiful work wins the
admiration of all naturalists. It is oval in shape, and of
large size compared with the bird, strongly and compactly
put together with wool, lichens, and moss, the two former
of which adhere very closely when they once become

16.a FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

entangled. A small Me is left on one side, pretty high up,
for ingress and egress, and the inside is lined with feathers,
which make it as warm and comfortable, at least to the
human understanding, as the outside is compact. The
eggs number from seven to ten, and even sixteen or
twenty, which are probably the production of more than
one bird; white or rosy-white until blown (by reason of
the yolk showing through the thin transparent shell), with
very small reddish-brown spots round the larger end.

THE EAZOR-BILL.

THE Guillemot and Razor-Bill appear to be very much alike
in the choice of their position for breeding purposes, and
alike only lay one egg each ; but that of the latter differs
very much from the former in diversity of colouring. It is
white or buffy-white, spotted and blotched with black,
chestnut, or reddish-brown.

CLASSIFIED INDEX.

The arrangement followed in this Index is that of the editors of the
last (fourth) edition of YarrelVs " British Birds." The first of the scien-
tific names of species is that used by them, in conformity with the code of
rules adopted by the Nomenclature Committee of the British Association.
Then follow other synonyms, when such have been mentioned in the text.

ACCIPITRES.

Birds of prey. Bill strong, curved, sharp-edged, often armed with
a lateral tooth, cere at base, nostrils open; body very muscular; legs
robust, short, with three toes in front and one behind, all armed with
long curved claws ; wings commonly pointed and of considerable size,
flight usually rapid and powerful ; primaries ten, wing-coverts large ;
tail with twelve or fourteen feathers.

FALCONID^E (FALCONS}.

Head plumose ; nostrils lateral, more or less rounded, open, and
situated in cere ; external toes especially connected with the middle
toe.

Accipiter nisus, SPARROWHAWK, II. 9

Aquila chrysae'tus, GOLDEN EAGLE, III. 129

Buteo vulgaris (Faico buteo), BUZZARD, IV. 9

Fnlco cesalon, MERLIN, III. 5

Falco candicans (F. gyrfalco), GTR FALCON, II. 121

Falco peregrinus (F. communis), PEREGRINE FALCON, II. 93

Falco tinnunculus, KESTREL, I. 53

Haliceetus albicilla (Aquila albicilla), WHITE-TAILED EAGLE, III. 113

Milvus ictinus (M. vulgaris, Falco milvus), KITE, III. 73

SI 'RIGID >JE (OWLS).

Head large, with large projecting eyes, directed forwards and sur-
rounded with a circle or disc (more or less developed according to the
more or less nocturnal habits of the genus); beak hooked, short,
81

162 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

covered at base by recumbent bristles ; nostrils at anterior margin of
cere ; tarsi covered with dense plumes.

Asio otus (Strix otus, Ofcus vulgaris), LONG-EARED OWL, III. 89
Aluco flammeus (Strix flammea), BARN OWL, I. 137
Strix aluco (S. stridula), TAWNY OWL, III. 137

PASSERES.

Legs slender, short, with three toes before and one behind, the two
external toes united by a very short membrane.

LANIID^E (SHRIKES).

Bill short or moderate, strong, compressed, notched at tip, or
furnished with a tooth at each side ; primaries mostly ten (tlie first
short), in a few nine ; wing-coverts short ; tarsi moderate or short,
covered anteriorly with transverse scutes, continuous scute at side.

Lanius collurio, RED-BACKED SHRIKE, II. 129

MUSCICAPID^ (FLY-CATCHERS}.

Bill broad at base, with tip curved, emarginate ; rigid bristles at
base of bill; primaries ten, first short; wing-coverts short; tarsi
covered anteriorly with transverse scutes, posteriorly and on both
sides with a continuous scute.

Muscicapa atricapilla, PIED FLY-CATCHER, III. 41

Muscicapa grisola, SPOTTED FLY-CATCHER, IV. 37

CINCLID^E (DIPPERS}.

Bill slender, nostrils linear, in lower edge of basal membrane, no
bristles or bristly points about the mouth ; body very short and broad ;
wings short, rounded, and concave, with ten primaries ; feet as in the
Turdidse.

Cinclus aquaticus, DIPPER, WATER OUZEL, II. 73

TURDIDsE (THRUSHES).

Bill emarginate at tip, compressed, in most moderate, in a few
longer than head ; primaries ten, first very short ; wing-coverts short ;
tail long and broad ; tarsus longer than middle toe, covered on anterior
surface above with a continuous horny coat, below with transverse
scutes ; outer toe longer than inner, united to middle toe at base, hind
toe long and strong.

CLASSIFIED INDEX. 163

Turdus iliacus, EEDWING, III. 97

Turdus merula, BLACKBIRD, I. 105

Turdus musicus, THRUSH, I. 81

Turdus pilaris, FIELDFARE, II. 137

Turdus torguatus (Merula torquata), EING OUZEL, IV. 1

Turdus viscivorus (Merula viscivora), MISSEL THRUSH, II. 81

SYLVIID^ (WARBLERS).

Distinguished from the family Turdidse by their more delicate
structure and more subulate bill.

Accentor modularis, HEDGE SPARROW, II. 69

Acrocephalus ncevius (Sylvia locustella), GRASSHOPPER WARBLER,

III. 125

Daulias luscinia (Sylvia luscinia, Motacilla luscinia, Philomela
luscinia), NIGHTINGALE, 1. 129

Erithacus rubecula (Sylvia rubecula, Erythaca rubecula), ROBIN, 1. 57

Melizophilus undatus ( Sylvia Dartfordiensis, Motacilla pro vincialis),
DARTFORD WARBLER, IV. 25

Phylloscopus collybita (Sylvia rufa, S. hippolais), CHIFF CHAFF,
11.61

Regulus cristatus (Motacilla regulus, Sylvia regulus), GOLDEN-
CRESTED WREN, I. 73

Ruticilla phcenicurus (Phcenicura ruticilla, Sylvia phcenicurus), EED-

START, I. 93

Ruticilla titys (Sylvia tithys, Phcenicura tithys), BLACK REDSTART,

IV. 33

Saxicola cenanthe (Motacilla cenanthe), WHEATEAR, III. 25
Saxicola rubetra (Motacilla rubetra), WHINCHAT, IV. 49
Saxicola rubicola (Sylvia rubicola, Motacilla rubicola), STONE-
CHAT, III. 21

Sylvia atricapilla (Motacilla atricapilla), BLACK CAP, II. 17
Sylvia curruca (S. sylviella), LESSER WHITETHROAT, III. 105
Sylvia rufa (S. cinerea, Motacilla cinerea), WHITETHROAT, I. 77
Sylvia salicaria (S. hortensis), GARDEN WARBLER, II. 77

TROGLODYTIDJ2 (WRENS).

Bill usually without notch ; nostrils varied, exposed, or not concealed
by feathers, and generally overhung by a scale-like membrane ; wings
much rounded, about equal to tail, which is graduated; primaries ten;
basal joint of middle toe usually united to half of basal joint of inner,
and the whole of that of outer, or more ; tarsi scutellate.

Troglodytes parvulus (T. europaeus, Sylvia troglodytes), COMMON
WREN, I. 33

164 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

CERTHIID^ (CREEPERS).

Bill slender, much compressed, and curved ; primaries ten, first less
than half the second ; tail long, wedge-shaped, feathers stiffened and
acute; outer lateral toe much the longest, hind toe exceeding both
middle toe and tarsus, which is scutellate in front and very short;
outer basal joint of middle toe united to those on each side.

Certhia familiaris, CREEPER, IV. 81

PARIDJ2 (TITS}.

Bill shorter than head, not notched or recurved at tip ; nostrils
rounded, basal, concealed by dense bristles or bristly feathers ; tarsus
distinctly scutellate in front, longer than middle toe and claw, which
are about equal to the hinder, soles of toes widened into a palm;
primaries ten, wings rounded, equal to or shorter than the rounded
tail ; body compressed, with soft, lax plumage.

Acredula caudata (Parus caudatus), LONG-TAILED TIT., IV. 137

Parus ater, COLE TIT, IV. 105

Parus cccruleus, BLUE TIT, II. 13

Parus major, GREAT TIT, I. 109

Parus palustris (P. atricapillus), MARSH TIT, IV. 121

SITTID^E (NUTHATCHES).

Closely allied to Paridse, of which this family has the general
characters, differing from it in the body being depressed, with compact
plumage ; bill equal to or longer than the head ; wings much pointed,
much longer than the nearly even tail ; tarsus shorter than middle toe
and claw, which are about equal to the hinder ; toes without palms.

Sitta ccssia (S. europaea), NUTHATCH, I. 101

MOTACILLIDJE (WAGTAILS}.

Bill short, rarely moderate, mostly slender, straight or somewhat
curved, compressed toward tip, emarginate ; primaries nine ; wing-
coverts short; tarsus slender, mostly long, covered anteriorly with
distinct transverse scutes, coalescent in some, or with continuous
horny scutes ; outer toes conjoined at base alone.

Anthus obscurus (A. aquaticus, Alauda obscura), EOCK PIPIT, IV. 73
Anthus pratensis (Alauda pratensis), MEADOW PIPIT, TITLARK, III. 37
Anthus trivialis (A. arboreus, Alauda trivialis), TREE PIPIT, III. 45
Motacilla lugubris (M. yarrellii, M. alba), PIED WAGTAIL, II. 37.
Motacilla sulphurea (M. boarula), GREY WAGTAIL, IV. 57

CLASSIFIED INDEX. 165

ALAUDIDM (LARKS).

Head crested; bill cylindrical, mostly short, -with, tip entire;
nostrils oblong, at base of bill, concealed by feathers and bristles
directed forward ; wings very long, primaries ten, first primary spurious
or apparently wanting ; wing-coverts short ; tarsus longer than middle
toe, covered before and behind with transverse scutes ; outer toes
conjoined at base only, hind claw considerably lengthened, straight
or slightly curved.

Alauda arborea, WOODLARK, III. 1

Alauda arvensis (A. vulgaris). SKYLARK, III. 53

Otocorys alpestris (Alauda alpestris, A. cornuta), SHORE LARK, IV. 89

EMBERIZIDJZ (BUNTINGS).

Bill rather flattened above, straight, edges waved, commissure
angulated, a hard knob on palate of upper mandible, lower mandible
laterally compressed so as to form a sort of anvil for this knob;
nostrils partly hidden by short feathers ; wings pendent and pointed,
with nine primaries; tarsus moderate, scaled, hind toe longer than
inner.

Eniberiza cirlus, CTRL BUNTING, IV. 13
Emberiza citrinella, YELLOW-HAMMER, II. 117
Emberiza miliaria, COMMON BUNTING, II. 113

Euspiza melanocephala (Emberiza schoeniclus), BLACK-HEADED BUN-
TING, IV. 65

FRINGILLID^ (FINCHES).

Bill very short, abruptly conical, and robust, commissure strongly
angulated at base of bill ; wings long and pointed, with nine primaries ;
tarsus short, and scutellated in front, the sides with two undivided
plates meeting behind along the median line as a sharp posterior ridge.

Carduelis elegans (Fringilla carduelis), GOLDFINCH, I. 1

Carduelis spinus (Fringilla spinus), SISKIN, I. 85

Coccothraustes chloris (Fringilla chloris), GREENFINCH, I. 89

Coccothraustes vulgaris (Loxia coccothraustes), HAWFINCH, IV. 17

Fringilla ccelebs, CHAFFINCH, I. 17

Fnngilla montifringilla, BRAMBLING, IV. 45

Linota cannabina (Fringilla linota), LINNET, I. 25

Linota rufescens (Fringilla linaria, Linaria minor), EEDPOLL, I. 61

Loxia curvirostra, CROSSBILL, I. 141

Passer domesticus (Fringilla domestica), HOUSE SPARROW, I. 41

Passer montanus, TREE SPARROW, IV. 41

Pyrrhula europcea (Loxia pyrrhula, Pyrrhula vulgaris), BULL-
PINCH, I. 9.

166 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

STURNID^E (STARLINGS}.

Bill straight, slender, and without bristles at the gape ; wings with
ten primaries, the first rudimentary, the second longest; tarsus
moderately long, scutellated in front, plated behind.

Sturnus vulgaris, STARLING, 1. 13.

CORVID^E (CROWS).

Bill large and conical, or long and curved, emargination sometimes
well-developed, sometimes quite obsolete; nasal fossae and nostrils
usually more or less concealed by narrow stiffened bristles or bristly
feathers ; primaries ten, wings rounded, first primary almost always
more than half the length of the second ; tarsus scutellated in front,
feet and claws strong, basal joint of middle toe united about equally
to lateral toes for about half the length.

Corvus corax, RAVEN, I. 21.

Corvus comix (Corvus cinerea), HOODED CROW, II. 101

Corvus corone, CARRION CROW, II. 1

Corvus frugilegus, ROOK, I. 29

Corvus monedula, JACKDAW, I. 45

Garrulus glandarius (Corvus glandarius), JAY, I. 37

Pica rustica (Corvus picus), MAGPIE, I. 5

Pyrrhocorax graculus (Corvus graculus, Fregilus graculus), CHOUGH,
II. 133

HIRUNDINID^E (SWALLOWS).

Bill short, triangular, very broad at base, narrowing rapidly to a
compressed notched tip, mouth opening nearly to the eyes ; primaries
nine, wings long, pointed; tail generally forked, with twelve feathers;
feet weak, tarsus scutellate, shorter than middle toe and claw.

Chelidon urbica (Hirundo urbica), MARTIN, II. 65
Cotile riparia (Hirundo riparia), SAND MARTIN, III. 81
Hirundo rustica (H. domestica), SWALLOW, II. 5

PICARLffi.

Primaries always ten ; tail-feathers commonly ten (eight to twelve) ;
hallux inconsiderable, weak or wanting, not always incumbent ; second
or fourth toe frequently versatile. -

CLASSIFIED INDEX. 167

CYPSELID^E (SWIFTS).

Bill very small, without notch, triangular, much broader than high,
without bristles, but with minute feathers extending along under
margin of nostrils, which are elongated, superior, and close together ;
anterior toes cleft to base, each with three joints, and covered with
skin and feathers, lateral toes nearly equal to middle ; tail-feathers
ten ; wings elongated, falcate.

Cypselus apus (Hirundo apus) SWIFT, II. 49

CAPRIMULGID^E (GOATSUCKERS}.

Bill very short, gape enormously long and wide, opening to beneath
or behind the eyes, smooth or armed with strong bristles; secondary
quills, in some genera lengthened; toes connected by a movable skin,
claw of middle toe pectinated.

Caprimulgus europceus, NIGHTJAR, III. 13

CUCULID^E (CUCKOOS}.

Bill compressed, usually more or less lengthened, and with decurved
culmen, bristles at gape few or absent, nostrils exposed without nasal
tufts ; tail long and soft, of eight to twelve feathers ; toes in pairs,
deeply cleft or not united, the outer anterior toe usually versatile, but
directed rather laterally than backward.

Cuculus canorus (Cuculus hepaticus), CUCKOO, II. 29

ALCEDINID^l (KINGFISHERS}.

Head large ; bill long, strong, straight, and sub-pyramidal, usually
longer than the head ; wings short ; legs small ; outer and middle toes
united for half their length.

Alcedo ispida, KINGFISHER, I. 121

PICIDM (WOODPECKERS}.

Bill long, wedge-shaped; tongue capable of great protrusion;
wings rounded, tail feathers ten or twelve, rigid or soft; outer toe
turned backward permanently, not versatile laterally.

Dendrocopus major (Picus major), GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER,
IV. 69

Gecinus viridis (Picus viridis), GREEN WOODPECKER, I. 117
lynx torquilla (Yunx torquilla), WRYNECK, I. 69

168 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

COLUMB^E.

Bill straight, compressed, horny at vaulted tip, which is separated
by a constriction from the soft membranous basal portion; nostrils
beneath a soft tumid valve ; legs feathered to tarsus or beyond ; hallux
generally incumbent; front toes rarely joined by membrane at base.

COLUMBID& (PIGEONS}.

Bill always shorter than head ; there is a long nasal groove, the
posterior portion occupied by a cartilaginous scale, covered by a soft
cere-like skin ; the nostrils constitute an elongated slit in the lower
border of the scale; wing large, lengthened, and pointed, with ten
primaries ; tail rounded or wedge-shaped ; tarsus usually short, rarely
longer than middle toe, scutellate in front, and with hexagonal plates
at sides and behind.

Columba livia, BOCK DOVE, IY. 113

Columba cenas, STOCK DOVE, IV. 21

Columba palumbus, EINGDOVE, I. 65

Turtur communis (T. auritus, Columba turtur), TURTLE DOVE., IV. 85

GALLING.

Bill generally short, stout, convex, with obtuse vaulted tip ; nostrils
scaled or feathered ; legs usually feathered to tarsus or beyond, tarsus
when not feathered generally broadly scutellate; hallux ordinarily
elevated, anterior toes generally joined at base by a membrane, claws
blunt, little curved ; wings strong, short, and concavo-convex ; .tail-
feathers commonly more than twelve.

TETRAONIDM (GROUSE).

Tarsus densely feathered ; nostrils in fossa concealed by feathers ;
toes usually naked (feathered to claws in Lagopus), with pectinations
of scales along the edges ; tail-feathers sixteen, eighteen, or twenty ;
tail rounded, acute, or forked. Some genera with inflatable air-sac in
neck.

Lagopus mutus (Tetrao lagopus, L. vulgaris), PTARMIGAN, II. 89

Lagopus scoticus (Tetrao scoticus, T. lagopus), COMMON GROUSE,
1.49

Tetrao urogallus, CAPERCAILLIE, III. 33

PHASIANIDJE (PHEASANTS).

Bill moderate, vaulted, with tip of upper mandible produced ; wings
rounded, tail broad, mostly with fourteen or eighteen feathers; tarsus

CLASSIFIED INDEX. 165

scutellated in front, in males mostly spurred ; hallux inserted some-
what high, insistent on the point, the anterior toes conjoined at base
by a small membrane ; cheeks or lateral parts of head unplumed, or
with tufts.

Caccabis rufa (Perdix rufa, P. rubra, Tetrao rufus), EED-LEGGED
PARTRIDGE, IV. 129

Coturnix communis (Perdix coturnix, Tetrao coturnix), COMMON
QUAIL, IV. 97

Perdix cinerea (Tetrao perdix), PARTRIDGE, II. 21

Phasianus colchicus, PHEASANT, II. 33

FULICARI^E.

Tibia naked ; neck and legs comparatively short ; head completely
feathered, or with a broad horny frontal plate ; bill not constricted in
the middle, rather shorter than head, straight and quite stout, or
much longer, regularly slender and decurved, with long nasal fossae ;
nostrils incompletely or not perforate; toes equalling or exceeding
the tarsi in length, simple or lobate ; wings short, rounded, concave,
with ten primaries ; tail rounded.

RALLIDM (RAILS).

Characters of the order.

Crex pratensis, LANDRAIL, III. 61

Fulica atra, COOT, II. 105

Gallinula chloropus (Fulica chloropus), MOORHEN, WATER-HEN, 1. 125

Rallus aquaticus, WATER BAIL, II. 109

LIMICOL^E.

Tibia bare of feathers for a variable (sometimes slight) distance
above heel-joint; legs commonly lengthened, sometimes excessively
so ; neck usually produced in corresponding ratio ; toes cleft, or united
for a short distance by one or two small basal webs ; hallux always
reduced or wanting; wings generally lengthened, pointed, and flat,
tail shorter than wing.

GHARADRIIDM (PLOVERS).

Bill short, weak at base, strong at tip ; nostrils in deep longitudinal
groove ; hallux wanting, or small and set high.

170 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

JEgialitis cantiana (Charadrius cantianus), KENTISH PLOVER,
IV. 5

Charadrius pluvialis, GOLDEN PLOVER,, III. 57

Eudromias morinellus (Charadrius morinellus), DOTTEREL, IV.
117

Hwmatopus ostralegus, OYSTER-CATCHER, IV. 101

Vanellus vulgaris (Tringa vanellus), LAPWING, I. 133

SCOLOPACIDM (SNIPES).

Bill long, slender, compressed and grooved at tip ; nostrils in groove
at base, closed by membrane; wings long and pointed; tarsus long
and slender ; hind toe short or absent.

Calidris arenaria (Charadrius callidris, Callidris arenaria), SANDER-
LING, IV. 133

Gallinago ccelestis (Scolopax gallinago), COMMON SNIPE, II. 57
Gallinago gallinula (Scolopax gallimila), JACK SNIPE, II. 125
Machetes pugnax (Tringa pugnax), BUFF, III. 109
Numenius arquata (Scolopax arquata), CURLEW, II. 97
Phalaropus fulicarius (P. lobatus), GREY PHALAROPE, III. 117
Scolopax rusticula (S. rusticola), WOODCOCK, II. 45
Totanus calidris (Scolopax calidris), REDSHANK, III. 77
Totanus hypoleucus (Tringa hypoleucus), COMMON SANDPIPER,
III. 101

Tringa alpina (T. cinclus), DUNLIN, III. 49
Tringa minuta (T. pusilla), LITTLE STINT, III. 85

QAT12B.

Bill pointed, knife-like or hooked ; nostrils lateral ; wings elongate
And well- developed for flight ; hallux free, anterior toes webbed.

LAEIDM (GULLS).

Bill compressed, in some covered with an imperfect cere, tip of
maxilla never strongly hooked, sometimes straight; nostrils lateral,
perforate ; wings long and pointed, tail long, tarsus scutellated in
front, reticulated behind ; hind toe mostly short.

Larus argentatus (L. fuscus), HERRING GULL, III. 141
Larus canus, COMMON GULL, 1. 113
Larus ridibundus, BLACK-HEADED GULL, II. 53
Stercorarius crepidatus (Lestris richardsonii, Larus parasiticus),
EICHARDSON'S SKUA, III. 69

CLASSIFIED INDEX. i7l

TUBINARES.

Nostrils tubular ; horny covering of bill consisting of several dis-
tinct pieces, separated by more or less marked grooves; terminal
portion of bill produced into a strong hook ; feet fully webbed an-
teriorly; hallux rudimentary, consisting of an elevated sessile, often
minute, claw, sometimes wholly absent ; wings usually very long.

PROGELLARIIDM (PETRELS).

Nasal tubes near together, laid side by side upon the culinen, the
nostrils opening anteriorly; wings lengthened; hind toe present,
though sometimes minute.

Procellaria pelagica, STORM PETREL, III. 17<

PTGOPODES.

Legs inserted far back, tarsi extremely compressed ; anterior toes
fully webbed, or strongly lobed, with broad flat nails ; bill extremely
variable.

ALCIDM (AUKS).

Bill variable; anterior toes fully webbed and armed with strong
claws, hallux entirely absent; lores feathered, tail always short;
nostrils without overhanging membrane.

Alca torda, RAZOR-BILL, IV. 141

Fratercula arctica, PUFFIN, II. 141

Mergulus alle (M. melanoleucos, Alca alle), LITTLE AUE^ IV. 125

Uria troile, GUILLEMOT, IV. 109

PODICIPEDIDM (GREBES).

Bill variable in shape, but always elongate; nostrils variable,
without overhanging lobe; wings very short and concave; tail
rudimentary, consisting of a tuft of downy loose webbed feathers
without perfectly-formed rectrices; toes lobate and semipalmate.

Podiceps fluviatilis (P. minor), LITTLE GREBE, III. 29

STEGANOPODES.

Hallux united by web to inner toe ; bill longer than head, with
sharp cutting edges, and generally with a curved maxillary terminal

172 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

hook; throat usually with a more or less distensible pouch of naked
skin situated between the branches of the mandible.

PELECANIDM (PELICANS).

Bill long, broad at base, compressed, maxillary hook present or more
or less distinctly indicated ; face and throat partially feathered ; nostrils
very narrow ; wings long, first quill longest; tarsi short and strong.
Phalacrocorax carbo (Pelecanus carbo), CORMORANT, IV. 77
Sula bassana (Pelecanus bassanus), GANNET, IV. 93

HERODIONES.

Tibiae naked below ; legs and neck much lengthened, in a corre-
sponding ratio; toes long, slender, never coherent at base where cleft,
or with movable basal webbing; hallux lengthened, free, perfectly
incumbent, or but little elevated, with a large claw ; wings commonly
obtuse, but broad and ample ; tail short.

ARDEIDM (HERONS).

Bill perfectly straight, tapering, acute ; lores and orbit naked, occi-
put frequently with ornamental plumes ; tarsus scutellate, middle claw
pectinated ; hallux lengthened, perfectly incumbent, with large claw.

Ardea cinerea, HERON, II. 41

Botaurus stellaris (Ardea stellaris), BITTERN, III. 9

PLATALEIDM (SPOONBILLS).

Bill very broad, excessively depressed and greatly expanded termin-
ally, much narrowed across the middle portion, extreme tip only much
decurved.

Platalea leucorodia, SPOONBILL, II. 85.

ANSERES.

Bill straight, laminated or denticulate, usually terminated by a
horny nail; legs short (always shorter than wing), tibiae usually
completely feathered, feet palmate, hallux well developed, though
usually small, never absent ; wings adapted for flying.

CLASSIFIED INDEX. 173

ANATIDM (DUCKS).
The only family. Characters of the order.
Anas boscas (A. boschas), WILD DUCK. II. 25
Fuligula ferina (Anas ferina), POCHARD, IV. 29
Mareca penelope (Anas penelope), WIGEON, III. 65
Mergus albellus, SMEW, IV. 61

(Edemia nigra (Oidemia nigra, Anas nigra), SCOTER, IV. 53
Querquedula crecca (Anas crecca), TEAL, I. 97
Somateria mollissima (Anas mollissima), EIDER DUCK, III. 133
Spatula clypeata (Anas clypeata), SHOVELLER, III. 121
Tadorna cornuta (Anas tadorna, T. vulpanser), SHIELDRAKE, III. 93

GENEKAL INDEX,

The second figure refers to the page at which a description of the eggs
will be found.

Barn Owl, 1. 137 (159) J -
Bittern, III. 9 (149)
Blackbird, 1. 105 (157)
Blackcap, II. 17 (147)
Black-headed Bunting, IV. 65 (154)
Black-headed Gull, II. 53 (151) -7
Black Redstart, IV. 33 (151)
Blue Tit, II. 13 (147) 4-
Brambling, IV. 45 (152)
Bullfinch, I. 9 (150)
Buzzard, IV. 9 (149)

Capercaillie, III. 33 (151)

Carrion Crow, II. 1 (145) -

Chaffinch, 1. 17 (151)

Chiff Chaff, H. 61(152)

Chough, II. 133 (159)

Cirl Bunting, IV. 13 (149) " ;

Cole Tit, IV. 105 (157)

Common Bunting, II. 113 (157) -~

Common Grouse, I. 49 (153) )

Common Gull, 1. 113 (158)

Common Sandpiper, III. 101 (157) ^

Common Snipe, II. 57 (151) -^

Common Wren, I. 33 (152)

Coot, IL 105 (156)

Cormorant, IV. 77 (155)

Creeper, IV. 81 (155)

Crossbill, 1. 141 (160)

Curlew, H. 97 (156)

Cuckoo, II. 29 (149)

Dartford Warbler, IV. 25 (150) ~~
Dipper, II. 73 (153)
Dotterel, IV. 117 (158)
Dunlin, III. 49 (152)

Eggs and Egg Collecting, 1. 145 ; II.

145 ; III. 145 ; IV. 145
Eider Duck, III. 133 (159)

Fieldfare, II. 137 (158)

Gannet, IV. 93 (156)

Garden Warbler, II. 77 (154)
Golden-crested Wren, I. 73 (155)
Golden Eagle, III. 129 (159) A
Golden Plover, III. 57 (153)
''Goldfinch, 1. 1 (149) _ '
Grasshopper Warbler, HI. 125 (159)
Great Spotted Woodpecker, IV. (

(154)

Great Tit, 1, 109 (157) "T|
Greenfinch, I. 89 (156)
Green Woodpecker, I. 117 (158) -
Grey Phalarope, III. 117 (158) -\"
Grey Wagtail, IV. 57 (153) -V
Guillemot, IV7109 (157)
Gyr Falcon, II. 121 (158)

Hawfinch, IV. 17 (150) C*^
Hedge Sparrow, II. 69 (153) V
Heron, II. 41 (150)

GENERAL INDEX.

175

Herring Gull, HI. 141 (160)
Hooded Crow, II. 101 (156) ~
House Sparrow, I. 41 (153) .*.

Jackdaw, I. 45 (153)
£Xfack Snipe, II. 125 (158)
Jay, I. 37 (152)

-I-

.- Kentish Plover, IV. 5 (149) -WL.
Kestrel, I. 53 (153)
Kingfisher, I. 121 (158)
Kite, III. 73 (155)

Landrail, III. 61 (154)
Lapwing, 1. 133 (159)
/Lesser Whitethroat, III. 105 (157)
Linnet, I. 25 (151)
Little Auk, IV. 125 (158)
Little Grebe, III. 29 (151)
Little Stint, III. 85 (155)
Long-eared Owl, III. 89 (156)
Long-tailed Tit, IV. 137 (159)

—7
-i

Magpie, I. 5 (150)
Marsh Tit, IV. 121 (158)
Martin, II. 65 (152)
Meadow Pipit, III. 37 (151) ~\-
Merlin, III. 5 (149)
Missel Thrush, II. 81 (154) ^
^/Moorhen, 1. 125 (159)

Nightingale, 1. 129 (159)
Nightjar, III. 13 (149)
Nuthatch, I. 101 (157)

Oyster-catcher, IV. 121 (157)

' Partridge, II. 21 (147) */—

Peregrine Falcon, II. 93 (155) 4-
ir Pheasant, II, 33 (149)

Pied Fly-catcher, III. 41 (152)H-

Pied Wagtail, II. 37 (149)

Pochard, IV. 29 (151>

Ptarmigan, II. 89 (155)
Puffin, II. 141 (159)

Quail, IV. 97 (156)

Raven, I. 21 (151)

Razor-hill, IV. 141 (160)
^Red-backed Shrike, II. 129 (159)4""

Red-legged Partridge, IV. 129 (159)

Redpoll, I. 61 (154)

Redshank, III. 77 (155)

Redstart, I. 93 (156)

Redwing, III. 97 (156)
Ringdove, I. 65 (154) -

Ring Ouzel, IV. 1 (148)_f

Robin, I. 57 (154)

Rock Dove, IV. 113 (158) -f-

Rock Pipit, IV. 73 (154) |

Rook, I. 29 (152)

Ruff, III. 109 (157)

JW^t, /; /i

SanderHng, IV. 133 (159)

Sand Martin, III. 81 (155) T-

Scoter, IV. 53 (153)

Shieldrake, III. 93 (156)

Shore Lark, IV. 89 (156) -f-~

Shoveller, HI. 121 (158)

Siskin, I. 85 (155)

Skua (Richardson's) III. 69 (154)

Skylark, III. 53 (153) ^

Smew, IV. 61 (154)
; Sparrowhawk, II. 9 (146) "-f •

Spoonbill, II. 85 (155)
V Spotted Fly-catcher, IV. 37 (151)

Starling, I. 13 (150)

Stock Dove, IV. 2Jr(150) J

Stone-chat, III. 21 (150) - . ;j .

Storm Petrel, III. 17 (150) 7-
/ Swallow, II. 5 (145)

Swift, II. 49 (151)

Tawny Owl, III. 137 (159) r~
Teal, I. 97 (157)

176

FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS.

Thrush, I. 81 (156)
Titlark, III. 37 (151)
Tree Pipit, III. 45 (152)-^-
Tree Sparrow, IV. 41 (152)-
Turtle Dove, IV. 85 (155) -

£^ Water Hen, 1. 125 (159)
Water Ouzel, II. 73 (153)
Water Rail, II. 109 (157)

, Wheatear, III. 25 (150)

Whinchat, IV. 49 (153)
White-tailed Eagle, III. 113 (158)

^Whitethroat, I. 77 (155)
Wigeon, III. 65 (154)

; Wild Duck, II. 25 (148)
Woodcock, II. 45 (150)
Woodlark, III. 1 (148) ^
Wryneck, I. 69 (155) f -• ' ,

^Yellow-hammer, II. 117 (157)

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Trixy; or, "Those who Live in Glass
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The Young Banche
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Our Holiday Hours.
Wandering Ways.

Shilling Story Books. All Illustrated, and containing Interesting Stories.

Seventeen Cats.
Bunty and the Boys.
The Heir of Elmdale.
The Mystery at Shoncliff

School.
Claimed at Last, and Boy's

Beward.
Thorns and Tangles.

The Cuckoo in the Bobin's
John's Mistake. [Nest.
Diamonds in the Sand.
Surly Bob.
The History of Five Little
Pitchers.
The Giant's Cradle.
Shag and Doll.

Aunt Lucia's Locket.
The Magic Mirror.
The Cost of Bevenge.
Clever Frank.
Among the Bedskins.
The Ferryman of BrilL
Harry Maxwell.
A Banished Monarch.

Selections from Cassett A Company's Publications.

Eighteenperuiy Story Books. All Illustrated throughout.

Wee Willie Winkie.

and Downs of a Don-
r's Life.

9 Wee Ulster Lassies.
_ the Ladder.
ick's Hero ; & other Stories.
The Chip Boy.

, Baggies, and the
ror.

Roses from Thorns.
Faith's Father.
By Land and Sea,
The Young Berringtons.
Jeff and Leff.

Tom Morris's Error.

Worth more than Gold.

" Through Flood— Through

The* Girl with the Golden

Looks.
Stories of the Olden Time.

Library of Wonders. Illustrated Gift-books for Boys. Cloth, is. 6d.

Wonderful Escapes. . . I Wonderful Balloon Ascents,

Wonders of Animal Instinct.

Wonders of Bodily Strength and Skill.

The "World in Pictures" Series. Illustrated throughout Cheap Edition, is. 6d. each.

A Ramble Round France.

All the Russias.

Chats about Germany.

Peeps into China.

The Land of Pyramids (Egypt).

The Eastern Wonderland (Japan).
Glimpses of South America.
Round Africa.

Two-Shilling Story Books.

Margaret's Enemy.
Stories of the Tower.
Mr. Burke's Nieces.
May Cunningham's TriaL
The Top of the Ladder :

How to Reach it.
Little Flotsam.

Half-Crown Story Books.

In Quest of Gold ; or, Under

the Whanga Falls.
On Board the Esmeralda ; or,

Martin Leigh's Log.

All Illustrated.
Madge and her Friends.
The Children of the Court.
Maid Marjory.
The Four Cats of the Tip-
Marion's Two Homes.
Little Folks' Sunday Book.

Esther West.
For Queen and King.
Perils Afloat and Brigands
Ashore.

Two Fourpenny Bits.

Poor Nelly.

Tom Heriot.

Aunt Tabitha's Waifs.

In Mischief Again.

Through Peril to Fortune.

Peggy, and other Tales.

Working to Win.
At the South Pole.
Pictures of School Life and
Boyhood.

Cassell's Pictorial Scrap Book.

pages, 6d. each.

In Twenty-four Books, each containing 32

Books for the Little Ones. Fully Illustrated.

Rhymes for the Young Folk. By William

oung F
Allingham. Beautifully Illustrated, is. 6d.

The Sunday Scrap Book. With Several
Hundred Illustrations. Boards, 34. 6d. ; cloth,

Cassell's Robinson Crusoe. With too
Illustrations. Cloth, 35. 6d. ; gilt edges. 55.

The Old Fairy Tales. With Original lllus-
trations. Cloth, is.

Cassell's Swiss Family Robinson. Illus-
trated. Cloth, 35. 6d. ; gilt edges, 55.

gilt edges Ss.

The New " Little Folks " Painting Book. Containing nearly 350 Outline Illustrations suitable for
Colouring, is.

The World's Workers. A Series of New and Original Volumes by Popular
Authors. With Portraits printed on a tint as Frontispiece, is. each.

Dr. Guthrie, Father Mathew, Elihu Bur-
ritt, Joseph Livesey.

Sir Henry Havelock and Colin Campbell
Lord Clyde.

Abraham Lincoln.

John Cassell. By G. Holden Pike.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon. By G. Holden

Pike.

Dr. Arnold of Rugby. By Rose E. Selfe.
The Earl of Shaftesbury.
Sarah Robinson, Agnes weston, and Mrs.

Thomas A. Edison and Samuel F. B. Morse.
Mrs. Somerville and Mary Carpenter.
General Gordon.

Catherine Marsh,
Havergal, Mrs. Ran-

David Livingstone.

George Muller and Andrew Reed.

Richard Cobden.

Benjamin Franklin.

HandeL

Turner the Artist.

George and Robert Stephenson.

Sir Titus Salt and George Moore.

».• The above Works can also be had Three in, One Vol., cloth, gilt edges, ys.

CASSELL <L COMPANY, Limited, Ludgate Hill, London
Parts & Melbourne,

r\ .

14 DAY USE

RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED

BIOLOGY LIBRARY

TEL. NO. 642-2532

This book is due on the last date stamped below, or

f on the date to which renewed.
Renewed books are subject to immediate recall.

;{\PR \41977

i11

LD21A-6m-7,'75 General Library

(S7525L)

University of California
Berkeley

coesnasmn

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